


I Didn't know How

by RogueArtistJen



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Multi, Sad with a speck of hope, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:53:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22782847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueArtistJen/pseuds/RogueArtistJen
Summary: Lena Saves the world (again) Kara makes a realization. Maybe it's not too late
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 71
Kudos: 314





	1. Hope

“Kara, this came for you.” Alex gently handed her sister a small envelope. Kara recognized the handwriting immediately and she felt faint. She sat down in Alex’s computer chair as she took it. “You okay?” Alex stood beside her and began rubbing comforting circles on her back. She nodded yes, but Alex wasn’t convinced. Kara could see that it was a thumb drive through the envelope even without using her x-ray powers. She stared at it, then to Alex, crinkling her brow, then back to the envelope. Alex stopped and started to leave. “I should go.” As she walked away, Kara caught her hand and gripped it tightly. Alex looked back, concern painting her face. 

“No. Stay.” Kara’s eyes were full of pain. “Please?” Alex said nothing and took her place back at Kara’s side as her alien sister tore open one end of the envelope and poured the USB drive into her hand. She reached around and plugged it into Alex’s computer. An image of a L-Corp folder that simply said “For Kara” popped up on the screen. She doubled-clicked it and braced for what came next. 

“Hello, Kara.” Lena smiled. The kind of smile Kara remembered when she thought of Lena. The kind the youngest Luthor would flash at her when Kara was going on and on about something she was excited about. Tears started to pool in Kara’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away because she wanted to see Lena. Needed to see Lena. “If you are watching this, then I stopped my brother and with any luck, Leviathan.” Kara was glued to every breath, every blink of her eyes, every word. Lena reached for her glass of scotch. “Unfortunately, it seems, that resulted in my death.” She tipped the glass up and took a big gulp. “I know we haven’t been on the best of terms since...” Lena sighed. She looked tired. Kara wanted so badly to hug her and tell her it was okay. She wanted to tell her she would protect her, but it would’ve been a lie. Lena was the only one smart enough to see what was coming. She knew sharing even the slightest bit of information could’ve tipped off Lex or Leviathan. She had been alone in this. Completely alone. Kara’s tears streamed down her face. Alex was squeezing her arm as the video continued. “I want to apologize.” She raised her eyes to look directly at the camera. “I have no idea where to start or what I could say to fix any of this. Clearly, it’s too late.” Lena put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. “There has been so much trauma in my life.” Lena started to tear up. “All I ever wanted to be was a force for good.” 

“Oh, Lena... ” Kara was covering her mouth now, trying to hold back sobs. Alex was directly behind her, a hand on each shoulder.

“I cannot begin to describe to you the loneliness I’ve felt most of my life.” Lena continued. When I fell for Jack, it subsided, but I ran away. The fear of losing him scared me more than anything ever had. The fear of being abandoned, like my Mother had by Lionel, or like I had, by her. I saw Supergirl on TV and I thought,” There! There’s my escape!” I convinced myself that running away from Jack to go save the world with Supergirl would be safer. That if I left first, he could never hurt me.” A tear ran down her face. “I never expected to find someone I cared for even more.” She paused; a crinkle formed between her brow. “I wasn’t lying when I told you that you chipped away at my armor. Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El...” Kara had never heard Lena use her real name. She’d imagined it. Daydreamed about it. Lena poured another glass of Scotch, swirled it around, and laughed at herself. “I’m an idiot.”

“No, Lena.” Kara whispered just loud enough for Alex to hear. 

“They won. Lillian and Lex. They beat me. Took me down with them. I fought so hard. But I lost. didn’t I?” She looked so defeated. “I mean, I won. I saved the world, but I’d already lost.” She laughed and shot the whole drink back. Kara was slightly confused. “They tricked me. They won. They made me hate you.” Tears fell the youngest Luthor’s green eyes. “Except, I didn’t. I never could.” Kara couldn’t help but touch the screen. Alex squeezed her shoulders tight. “I was so afraid that they were right. I was so afraid that all this time, what I knew, what I believed, was wrong and that maybe, maybe they were right.” She reached for the bottle again, filling the glass a little more this time. “So, I cut you off. Called you a liar. Accused you of betrayal. Out of fear.” She tilted the glass back. It was clear the alcohol was having an effect as Lena pulled her legs up on the couch and relaxed back into the cushions. “I never expected you to tell me.” She closed her eyes again. Her face, tear-stained and tired. She looked at her empty glass and ran her finger across the bottom. “Lex told me your secret because he knew. He knew you were saving me. That you could save me. And if there’s one thing Lex hates, it’s losing to Kryptonians.” Lena continued. “And he knew, Kara. He knew my secret. The secret that I had pushed so far down. The secret that I was keeping, even from myself.” 

Kara had tears running down her face. Alex had quickly wiped her own eyes, hoping Kara wouldn’t notice. 

“I’m so sorry, darling.” Lena began to sob but immediately composed herself. Kara’s soul moved inside her. “I never learned how to let someone love me.” she continued. Kara’s face blushed. “The Luthors don’t love. It was selfish of me to ever want you to love me. When Lex told me your secret, somewhere, deep down inside, I already knew. Trauma, PTSD, Isolation, fear, all teach us so many skills. I learned how to hide my feelings. I learned how to disconnect. I learned how to pretend.” 

This time Lena didn’t bother with the glass, and just grabbed the bottle. She sat very still and quiet for a long time, staring at something off camera on the floor or just staring at nothing at all. 

“I’m not asking for forgiveness and this is probably the exact wrong thing to do. “ she said, still staring off into space. “But I wanted to tell you...” 

She looked right at the camera, right through it, to Kara. Tears freely running down her face. 

“I love you, Kara Danvers. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. It meant the world to me that you believed in me. That you never gave up on me. It’s why I must do this. I’m sorry I never told you. I...I... just didn’t know how.”

The video abruptly shut off. Neither woman moved. Alex kept her hand right where she had it, on Kara’s shoulder. She didn’t squeeze, she didn’t rub, she just kept it right there. Kara was frozen in place. They stayed that way for several minutes. 

“Kara,” Alex whispered. 

“Yeah,” her sister whispered back through a tight throat. 

“It’s okay...” She started, but before she could finish, Kara was standing up and pacing around waving her arms. 

“No, Alex, no it’s not. It’s not okay. It’s never going to be okay!” 

“Kara, stop...stop for a second.” Alex spoke softly. “Let me finish.” Kara turned and faced her, chin down, face full of tears. Alex took both her shoulders in her hands. “It’s okay if you loved her back.” 

Kara was caught a little off guard and looked up at her older sister abruptly, face red. She fell into Alex’s arms and sobbed. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. Alex stoking her hair. 

“I’ve got ya.” Alex whispered. “I’m here. We’re gonna get through this.” Kara’s sobs eased up and became sniffles. Once the sniffles subsided Kara pulled away and plopped down in the chair. Alex sat on the edge of the desk behind her. “You could’ve told me.” Alex quietly stated.

Kara’s eyes were red and puffy as she looked at her sister. “I don’t think I realized it until after she started pulling away,” her voice quivered. “Then, I was terrified of losing her.” 

“Is that why you wanted to tell her your secret so badly?” Alex questioned. 

“Maybe? Yes. I mean, I don’t know why I didn’t before. I mean, I do. I told her why, but it all seems so impossibly ridiculous now,” Kara continued. The tears welling once again in her eyes. “I wasn’t purposely keeping it from you.” she looked at her sister with hurt in her eyes. 

“You were trying to figure it out. I get it.” Alex said knowingly as she reached out for Kara’s hand. 

“You do?” Kara’s face hopeful as she held her sister’s hand tightly in hers.

“Of course. I remember those feelings. It’s all very confusing. Remember when I came out?” Alex reassured her little sister. “You asked me if I’d always felt that way?” Kara nodded. “Remember, I didn’t know how to explain it exactly?” 

“So, what does that make me?” Kara questioned, panic in her voice. Alex chuckled a bit.

“Well, you’re something. You don’t have to label it, yet.” She smiled. “I kind of suspected.” Kara looked shocked. “I mean, you two were buying each other flowers and chocolates and basically going on dates.” Kara was beet red at this point. “And then, when Lena bought Catco...I mean, who does that for just a friend?” Alex shook her head. 

“Oh, Rao.” Kara put her head in her hands. “Was it really that obvious?” 

“Yeah. A little bit.” Alex looked at her sister with a kind and understanding smile. “A few of us had a betting pool on who would admit it first.” 

Kara’s face became pained. “I guess Lena won.” Kara let go of her sister’s hand and stood up and faced away from Alex. 

“I’m sorry, Kara. I wasn’t trying to make light of anything,” Alex said as she stood up from the desk edge. 

“I know,” Kara sighed heavily. 

“There’s still a chance,” Alex tried to sound hopeful. “We didn’t find a body. Lena’s smart. Maybe she...” 

“Stop. Don’t.” Kara turned with weariness written all over her. “I can’t right now.” She looked down and shook her head. “I’m so tired, Alex.” 

“I know, Kara. I know,” Alex sighed. “Take some time. I’m here. Anything you need. Go home. I’ll come check on you in a few hours.” She pulled her into her arms and squeezed her tightly. “I’ll bring pizza.” 

Kara nodded. 

“I really wanted to save her, Alex.” Kara stated as she paused to leave. “I wanted to save her more than I’ve ever wanted to save anyone. I just...didn’t know how.” Alex looked at her sister and nodded as Kara turned and walked away.


	2. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara has a dream. Nia interprets. Lex plans. Is Lena alive?

I Didn’t Know How Chapter 2: Help 

Kara tossed and turned in her sleep. Her dreams were vivid and in full color. She was flying, as fast as she could, trying to reach Lena before she set off the events that would end Leviathan and result in her death. Up ahead of her, the sky lit up and she knew she was too late. There was a pit in her stomach as she reached the spot L-Corp, or on this Earth, Luthor Corp, once stood. Piles of smoking debris, concrete and twisted metal were strewn about Cordova Street. Before she could lose hope, she saw something in the debris flashing. She used her super vision to scan it and flew down to get a closer look. It was a black box. Much like the ones used in aircraft. Kara’s heart skipped a beat. This was important. She just felt it in her soul. She scooped it up and a symbol flashed on its surface. She didn’t recognize it. It glowed intensely until it was so radiant that Kara could no longer see. She was now inside the light and being pulled toward, what appeared to be a very similar light. As the two lights began to merge, she woke up. 

“Lena?” she spoke aloud to an empty apartment. She reached over to her nightstand to the right of her bed and picked up the last photo they took together, both smiling. All this time, Kara thought Lena had picked Lex, even after giving her an ultimatum, and deep down inside she had never really accepted that. Turns out Lena had played the long game in order to help her beat both Lex and Leviathan. Kara wanted to just crawl back under the covers and hide forever, but then she remembered the box from her dream. She jumped up and grabbed one of her drawing pads and a pencil. She was certain she could remember the symbol from her dream, and she wanted to sketch it out before it was gone forever. As close as she could remember, it was a series of circles. Red, Blue and green. All intersecting at certain points. That was it. What did it all mean, though? 

“Nia!” she exclaimed. Yes, Nia could help her interpret he dream. Maybe Lena was still alive! For the first time in days, she felt hopeful again. Even though they had stopped Leviathan and Lex, losing Lena made it seem like a hollow victory. If she somehow survived, then Kara had to find her. She had to tell her... 

Kara used her super speed to get dressed and was out the door and headed to Catco to meet Nia. She texted her on the way. 

**Nia, I need to talk to you ASAP. Meet me in the conference room in 5.  
Also, what kind of donuts do you want? Pink or sprinkles? **

She had just stepped in the door to Noonan’s when her phone buzzed with Nia’s answer. 

**Sprinkles, duh!**

Kara smiled as she stepped up to the counter to order. 

Across the bay, and back in prison where he belonged, Lex Luthor was already working on a plan to put himself on top again. There was no way he was going to allow that Kryptonian to be the hero he so rightly deserved to be. She had turned his own sister against him. Leviathan had also turned on him. They honestly thought they could mind control the greatest mind in human history? He was insulted. He had already managed to get most of the luxuries he had in his old cell and pulled the tablet from beneath the dinner tray he had just been brought. A few words typed and he would have access to all his files once again. As he gained access, the tablet glitched and Lena’s face flickered across it. He stared at the tablet confused. Had Lena infected his cloud and all his files? He started a virus check when once again, Lena’s face, again appeared on his screen. The image was quite distorted, but clearly Lena and it stayed longer this time. Unexpectedly, a very electronically synthesized version of his sister’s voice said, “Lex. Can you hear me?” Lex tossed the tablet to the bed across the room. Was he being haunted? Had Lena built an AI of herself? He had to think. He quickly crossed the room and began typing as fast as his fingers would go. He needed to find the source of this message. 

Kara had arrived, with donuts, the sprinkled kind, to find Nia waiting in the conference room like she had requested. 

“What’s up, boss?” Nia reached for a donut, scooping up two, one in each hand. 

Kara laughed and answered, “I’m not your boss, Nia.” 

“Sure, you are. Kind of. I mean, you’re Supergirl. I’m you’re protégé, so that kind of makes you my boss,” she explained with a mouth full of donut. 

She loved that Nia looked up to her and she also loved that Nia seemed to have the same appreciation for donuts that she did. 

“No, that makes me your mentor. Big difference.” Kara took a big bite of the donut she had chosen. “I’ve learned in my short time here on Earth, that a boss is usually code for someone who has leadership inadequacies and uses the people below them for their own gain.” 

“Oh, well, yeah, no, you’re definitely not my boss, then.” Nia wrinkled her nose. 

“Anyway,” Kara waved the conversation away to get to the point, “I need your help.” 

“Okay.” Nia looked intrigued. “What can I do?” She shoved another donut into her mouth. 

“I had a dream about Lena last night.” Kara dug through her bag to find the illustration she had drawn of the symbol on the box. 

“Oh, uh...okay. A dream about Lena.” Nia put her half-eaten donut down and took a seat. 

“What?” Kara froze as she stared a Nia’s concerned face. 

“Well, I mean, you know this might just be a dream, right? Like, you might be dreaming about Lena because you guys had unfinished business and...” Kara interrupted before she could finish. 

“No, no, no.” Kara found the image and pulled it out, smacking it down on the conference table and looking Nia right in the eye. “This meant something. I could tell. I need to know what it means.” 

Nia grimaced a bit. 

“Okay, but just know, I’m still learning, and this might not lead anywhere.” She sighed. 

Kara explained her dream as thoroughly as possible. Nia listened intently, making mental notes as she took in Kara’s description. Once Kara had finished Nia decided that it was possible that the dream meant something other than Kara just missing Lena. 

“Okay, I’ll see if I can get any kind of lead or deeper meaning.” Nia got into position, head resting on the back of her chair, arms on the arm rests, in a meditative type position, as Kara drew the shades on the windows and locked the door. 

She immediately fell into a deep sleep. The first thing she saw was the symbol Kara had drawn. It was pulsating. First on the box Kara had described and then the symbol seemed to slide off the box and squeeze itself into a tube or line. Still glowing green, blue and red, it zipped across the line, with Nia flying behind it. The line connected into a building that Nia didn’t recognize. She phased through into the building and continued to follow the glow. It zipped through several different areas until it got to a huge server room. There it blazed, shimmering and shining until it took on a familiar form. It was that of Lena Luthor. 

“Kara,” the unbound light form whispered. Nia quickly glanced around to try to memorize the room. It was nothing but servers. Rows and rows of servers, except at the very far end. She thought she saw something else, but couldn’t make it out in time, due to Kara shaking her. 

“Nia, wake up. Wake up.” Kara shook her friend carefully as someone continued to rattle keys outside the door. 

“...not sure how it got locked,” a voice could be heard saying as the lock clicked. As the door swung open, there stood the new CEO of Catco Worldwide Media looking at two of her employees caught red-handed, shoving donuts in their mouths. 

“Oh my...” Kara stood up from the table, and Nia out of her chair. “I am so sorry. We forgot the napkins.” They both smiled, showing their new boss and the security officer their sticky fingers. “We’ll just head out, now.” They both lowered their heads and darted out of the room as quickly as possible. “Thanks for the rescue.” 

“Who was that?” asked the new CEO. 

“Ummm...that was your star reporter, Kara Danvers and her protégé, Nia Nal,” the Security Officer revealed. 

Kara and Nia hadn’t stopped walking and decided to head down to the lobby on the first floor. There was a little nook that would be a good place to lie low as Nia explained to Kara what she saw. 

“So...?” Kara was more than eager to hear what Nia had seen. 

“Well, first off, I’m going to need a little bit to analyze this.” Nia wasn’t sure what it all meant. 

Kara sighed. 

“But, there’s definitely something to analyze,” she finished. Kara looked at her hopeful. “I think you might be right. This symbol is important. It has something to do with Lena.” Nia ran her hand over the drawing Kara had handed her. 

“So, she’s alive?” Kara was about to come out of her seat. 

“I can’t say for sure.” Nia crinkled her brow. “But it’s definitely possible.” She looked at Kara’s face and smiled an unsure smile. “The first thing we need to do is find that box.” She stood up, Kara standing with her. 

“I’ll start at what’s left of Luthor Corp and ask Alex if she’s heard anything through her DEO contacts.” She tucked the drawing back into her bag. 

“I’ll see if I can find out who had access to the site immediately after the explosion and if the NCPD or Fire Rescue found anything resembling the box.” Nia added. 

They nodded to each other. Kara started to head off and stopped. “Thank you, Nia.” She wrapped her in a big hug. 

“Too tight. Too tight,” Nia grunted. 

“Oh, sorry.” Kara giggled and she was off. She changed into her supersuit in the alleyway next to Catco and headed to the Tower to find Alex. “Hold on, Lena,” she whispered aloud. “I’ll find you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell you how warm and fuzzy it made me feel to get all the comments I did on Chapter One. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll keep writing, as long as you guys keep letting me know you want more. Hope you liked Chapter Two.


	3. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Lena alive? Who has the mysterious box?

“I Didn’t Know How” Chapter 3: Panic 

Kara had radioed ahead to Alex so that she might have some information for her by the time she got there. She landed at the Tower and strutted in through the balcony doors. 

“Anything?” she looked at Alex hoping there was good news. 

“The DEO didn’t find anything. The Luthor lawyers wouldn’t let them near Luthor Corp,” Alex explained. “However, one of my contacts said she was assigned to keep an eye on the area, covertly of course, and she did see someone come in and pull something very similar to what you described from the site.” Alex waved her hand across the screen in front of her and a photo came up. Supergirl’s heart nearly stopped. 

“Lillian Luthor.” She nearly choked on the words. Her throat suddenly dry, she swallowed hard. 

“Yeah.” Alex looked at Kara with real concern in her eyes. 

“Alex, we’ve got to find her. Now, faster than before. If Lillian has that box, there’s no telling what she could do.” Kara was pacing now. 

“Do we even know what the box is?” Alex asked as gently as she could. Kara’s brow crinkled as she shook her head no. 

“All I know is that it’s the key to finding Lena. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but it is.” Kara was very adamant about this. 

“Okay, so, is there any way we might be able to track it?” Alex questioned. Supergirl put her arms across her chest and continued pacing. 

“In my dream, it felt like it was similar to the black box in aircraft. How do they track those?” The younger Danvers wasn’t as savvy with Earth technology. That was something that Alex specialized in. Especially guns and spy tech. 

“Well, black boxes in aircraft emit an ultrasonic ‘beep’ periodically. Was there any sound in your dream that you can remember?” Alex knew it was a long shot. The caped hero closed her eyes and thought back, scanning her mind for anything that might be a sound or beacon. She sighed heavily and dropped her arms to her side. 

“No, nothing that I can think of.” She plopped into the chair next to Alex. 

“Didn’t you say Nia got a little clearer idea of what it was? Maybe she heard something.” The hero’s older sister wasn’t giving up just yet. 

“Yeah, Nia.” Supergirl sat up and pulled out her phone when unexpectedly the Tower monitors all started flickering with lines across them and a voice was calling Supergirl’s name. 

“Kara...can you...me?” The disembodied voice fought through static. The Tower alarms sounded. 

“Virus detected. Deploying defense systems.” The Tower AI J’onn had installed had decided this was some sort of threat. 

“No!” Kara looked panicked. “Shut it down! Shut it down!” Kara shouted. “Lena, Lena, is that you?” Alex was doing everything she could to stop the Tower from severing the tie to whoever or whatever was trying to make contact. 

“...Kara...” the voice was Lena’s. There was no doubt in Kara’s mind. 

“Virus eradicated,” the Tower stated as the alarms shut off and all the screens went back to normal. 

“No! Lena! What happened? What did it do?” Kara was in full blown panic mode. 

“Calm down. Calm down,” Alex started. “I managed to direct it away from the system. The Tower only thinks it eradicated it because it disappeared,” the ex-DEO Director explained. Kara put her hand to her heart and let out a relieved sigh. “And now that I’ve redirected it,” Alex was still typing away at the console, “we can track it.” She looked up at Kara who was staring at her in surprise. “What?” the darker haired woman feigned surprise. “I had Brainy tutor me on computers when we had down time, and Kelly was filling me in on AI programs and algorithms when she was working for Obsidian. All the ins and outs. Not only am I proficient in science and biological viruses, but I can track a virtual virus as well.” She grinned, very proud of herself. Kara ran up to her and gave her a squeeze. 

“Rao, thank you, thank you,” the stronger-than-human alien spouted as Alex braced against the hug in hopes that Kara would crack her ribs. She didn’t. 

“Well, let’s get started.” Alex went right back to typing furiously on the keypad. Kara felt a little useless just standing around. 

“I’m going to go patrol and see if I can get a lead on Lillian. Let me know the second you find anything.” Alex nodded and, in a few steps, she was out the window and on her way. 

Across the bay, at Stryker’s Island, Lex Luthor was slightly ahead of Alex. He had been scanning for the signature since it last appeared on his screen, and when it popped up over on the Tower computers, an alert came up on his. 

“Well, well, sis,” he snarked. “Looks like I underestimated you again. Something of a habit I need to break.” He was trying to determine if what he had found was an actual AI, a bot or machine learning. It looked very similar to an AI but there was something very different about it. This AI was writing its own code. Without warning, Lena’s face once again appeared through static and lines on his device. 

“Lex,” her voice was still very synthesized. The image on his screen scowled at him. He was slightly taken aback. 

“Sis?” He asked incredulously. Half-laughing. “Is that you?” He was amused with himself. Talking to a program. Even if it was an impressive program. He was trying to crack into it, but it was proving difficult. 

“No!” the face on his screen shouted a the command and then it disappeared. Immediately after, the entire prison went dark. Lex sat there for a minute, trying to wrap his head around what was going on. 

“Huh,” he smiled to himself and grabbed a pen and a notebook to continue working through more of the algorithm he had come across in the AI while the power was out. The back-up generators only worked to keep necessary systems working. His electrical outlets weren’t included in that. A problem he’d have to address later. 

Back at the Tower Alex was also noticing the AI seemed to be writing its own code. She was baffled. She might have to call Kelly or Brainy in to help on this one. She’d never seen a program act this way before. She was able to ascertain that it did have a signal pulse. It wasn’t the typical electronic ‘beep’ though. It sounded like a heartbeat. She double checked it to make sure and there was no mistaking her conclusion. What had Lena done? With all the virtual reality that both Leviathan and Obsidian had created and the Non Nocere that Lena was working on, it wasn’t surprising that this program seemed to have a life of its own. Alex was a little more than disturbed as well as impressed by the possibilities. There was no denying that Lena Luthor had been a genius and if anyone could’ve found a way to survive that explosion, Leviathan, and Lex’s betrayal, it was her. She really hoped she had, not just for Kara’s sake, but hers as well. Lena had been a part of the family and truth be told; Alex missed her. They had a lot in common when it came to their passions about science as well as wanting to protect people, especially Kara. She hated the way things had turned out. She knew it was still hurting Kara. She shook herself out of those thoughts and back to the present matter. They’d get her back, if she was still alive. 

Lillian Luthor walked briskly to the door of a bunker miles out of National City. The security system required a retinal scan as well as a lock of hair for a DNA scan. The oldest Luthor plucked a strand from her head and dropped it into the box that was protruding from the wall. The light above the door lit up green and the click of the lock releasing was audible. She looked around and walked inside, carrying the black box with her. She immediately made her way to a plain white-walled room. As she entered the overhead lighting activated. She moved to the south wall and placed her palm squarely in the center. A deep pulse sounded, and the wall moved to both sides from the center revealing an elevator. She entered and pressed the number 5. The elevator descended and opened to an underground room full of computers and large screens. Lillian sat the black box on a black table in the center of the room. The symbol pulsing brightly with what sounded like a heartbeat. 

“Well, dear, let’s look at what you’ve done, shall we?” the oldest living Luthor announced to an empty room. Lillian knew Lena was much smarter than Lex, though she would never admit it. It’s part of the reason she tortured the girl while raising her. That and the fact that Lena was a constant reminder of Lionel’s infidelity. She plugged a cord into a port on the box and all the screens in the room lit up. Lillian typed with an air of confidence as each screen showed something different. One running code, one showing different algorithms, and one with just digital lines that moved up and down with the sound of the heartbeat. In a rather dramatic fashion, the overhead lights pulsed dim to bright several times and there on the middle monitor was a digital bust of Lena Luthor. 

“Mother!” The voice was much less synthesized than before because of the clean connection. 

“Lena.” The former head of Cadmus seemed unshaken by the sudden appearance of her stepdaughter. 

The digital Lena looked around her as much as possible, her vision limited by the confines of the screen. 

“Where have you brought me?” she demanded. 

“Somewhere your friends will never find you.” She smiled, still typing feverishly at the keys in front of her. 

“What are you doing?” The digital image seemed concerned. 

“Checking something.” Lillian refused to be distracted. “Ah, there it is.” Lillian’s face was both shocked and proud. “You did it, didn’t you?” She looked up at the digital image of Lena. “You transferred yourself into this machine.” The digital image fell silent. “Now, you must have had a plan to get back out. Tell me and I can help you.” Lillian did her best to seem empathetic to Lena’s situation. 

“I’m not telling you anything.” Digital Lena crossed her arms across her chest. 

“Well, that’s your choice.” Lillian smirked. “You can stay in there forever, I suppose.” She walked out of Lena’s sight behind the monitor. “I’m the only one that can help you now. Even Lex doesn’t know where this place is. I needed a place of my own,” she finished as she pulled a wire from the back of the monitor, causing the image of Lena to disappear. 

“What happened?” Lena seemed distressed. “What are you doing?” 

“I’ve shut off your ability to see, dear.” Lillian laughed lightly. The monitor next to that one scrambled and cleared with the digital image of Lena. 

“No, you haven’t.” Lena sneered. 

“We can play this game as long as you want.” Lillian calmly walked to the next monitor and unplugged the same cord she had on the first, causing the same result. As Lena’s image hopped to the next monitor, Lillian continued to repeat the action until all the monitors had been disconnected. 

“What do you want?” Lena’s slightly metallic sounding voice questioned. 

“Like I said, Dear, I want to help you. In return, you can show me how you accomplished this,” Lillian said rather nonchalant. “Imagine the possibilities.” 

“Never!” Lena said so loudly that it distorted her disembodied voice even more than usual. 

“Well, I’ll give you some time to think it over.” Lillian ran her hand over the box, her brow creasing as she looked closely at the symbol that decorated it. “Like I said, no one will ever find you here, and I’m in no hurry at all. I suspect you might be in a bit of a rush to, oh, I don’t know, get back to your body?” And with that she walked away. All Lena could hear was the click clack of the woman’s heels on the floor as they faded off into the distance. She had to get through to somebody. There was something blocking her from connecting to the internet. She wasn’t sure what Lillian had done, but she was determined to beat her at this game. She started thinking, which in turn, meant new code was forming, new algorithms were running. She just needed to ramp up the find signal of the box. Just enough that Supergirl could hear it. She got a knot in her virtual stomach. Would Kara even be looking? Everyone thought she had fallen into the darkness. Even Supergirl. 

“I hope you still believe in me, Kara Danvers.” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! Are you guys from chapter one still with me? Is it still making you want more?


	4. Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena is just a heartbeat away, but will Lillian stop Supergirl from keeping her promise?

Kara was flying slowly over each block of National City looking for any sign of Lillian or anything out of the ordinary. She had been doing so for hours. 

“Supergirl?” Alex’s voice came across the radio and slightly startled her. 

“News?” The hero felt a surge of hope. 

“I’ve got something. I’m not sure what, but something.” Her older sister seemed perplexed. “It’s the signal that the box was giving off.” A sound came across the coms and Kara nearly fell out of the sky. She recognized it immediately. Lena’s heartbeat. “It sounds like...” before Alex could finish Kara jumped in. 

“A heartbeat. It’s Lena’s heartbeat.” She spoke aloud a bit dazed. That meant she was alive, right? Or did it? She wasn’t sure. 

“Are you positive it’s Lena’s?” Alex asked as gently as she knew how. 

“Absolutely. One hundred percent,” Kara spouted, and quickly realized exactly how intimate that was. She turned bright red and was very glad she wasn’t standing in the same room with her sister right now, even though Alex had been very understanding about her feelings toward Lena. 

“Okay, then.” Alex didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Kara was still figuring things out, but seriously? These two should win some sort of award. “So, unless someone figured how to turn it off...” Alex started. 

“I should still be able to hear it!” Kara interrupted. She closed her eyes and concentrated. This was a sound she had listened for a thousand times. She might not have personally checked in on Lena during their falling out, but she never went a morning, afternoon or night without making sure that rhythm wasn’t somewhere safely beating in the city. After Supergirl’s fight with Lex and Leviathan and the explosion at Luthor Corp, Kara couldn’t stand the silence. She was almost certain Lena had perished, just due to the lack of that familiar beat, and she hadn’t even began processing what that meant before the USB drive had arrived. “Wait,” she asked Alex. “I searched for her heartbeat after the explosion. I couldn’t find it.” 

“My best guess is that it was activated after you plugged in that USB drive, she gave you,” Alex theorized. Lena appears to have covered all her bases before she went through with her plan to wipe out Leviathan.” 

“That makes sense,” Kara half whispered to herself. She once again closed her eyes, concentrating on filtering out every sound that wasn’t Lena’s heartbeat, one by one. The hum of electricity that powered the city was the loudest. Then the traffic and airliners and boats. Beeps and honks and thousands upon thousands of other sounds until she heard something very faintly, in the distance. Her eyes popped open and she shot off like a rocket. “Lena,” was all she said. 

Across town, power to the prison now restored, Lex was desperately trying to track the source of the last signal but coming up with nothing. Perhaps he was looking for the wrong thing. If his calculations were correct, then his genius sister had managed to not only stop him and destroy Leviathan but save herself. Temporarily at least. The clock was ticking. He grinned widely as he typed. A tracking program popped up on his screen. During Crisis, Lex had made a deal with the Monitor and the god-like being held true to it, allowing Lex to save Lena. He had appeared out of nowhere at L-Corp, grabbed a bottle of scotch and two glasses, drugged his unsuspecting sister and before he brought her to this timeline, implanted a tracking chip completely without her consent or knowledge. Lex didn’t like losing and Lena had a nasty habit of playing for the wrong side. He’d get ahead of any betrayals if he knew who she was spending her time with. Especially if that someone was a Kryptonian. Luckily, he’d gotten ahead of that as well, when he had outed the alien before she got a chance to tell her secret. Unfortunately, Kara Danvers didn’t give up easily and despite all his gaslighting and manipulation, his sister had picked a different side. Her own. Something he hadn’t felt she was strong enough to do by herself. Again, he had critically underestimated her. A location lit up on his tablet. “Gotcha, sis,” he smirked. “You haven’t won, yet.” 

Miles outside National City, Lillian Luthor was enjoying a hot cup of tea on the second level of her secret lair. It had all the amenities. It was basically a second Luthor mansion, underground. The building above was one of Lena’s pet projects. A children’s cancer center. It was an out of the way place, where nature and things like horseback riding were implemented in the healing process. Lena had requested that the Luthor name not adorn the building in any way shape or form. She had named it the “Storeen”, some silly Irish word that Lillian hadn’t cared enough to remember. What Lena had been unaware of, was that Lillian had funded this venture over a decade ago and installed personal programs and security that only initiated once she was on the premises. It shared the same cloaking technology as the Luthor Mansion had. There were 5 levels of lead lined, sound-proofed, self-sustaining research and living quarters that absolutely no one else on Earth knew about. She had made certain of that. Once the contractors had completed the job, they had become test subjects for various experiments. Too bad they had all failed. It had been a couple of hours since she had left Lena to ponder her choice. She finished her tea and headed down. 

Supergirl had made her way far outside the city limits. The heartbeat growing more audible with every passing second. She was trying her best to pinpoint it but finding it difficult. 

“Alex, I can’t get a fix on it. There’s something making it difficult to...” she looked below her at a cluster of buildings. Her brow creased as she scanned the area with her x-ray vision. She wasn’t seeing anything unusual. 

“Tell me what you’ve got.” Alex figured she could pull the location up and maybe there would be some sort of clue for her to run with. 

“There’s a really nice horse ranch, with a huge expensive-looking barn, a large park with all sorts of amazing things for kids to play and climb on attached to a Nature Center. Wow! I didn’t know this was out here. “ Kara flew down closer, intrigued. “It looks like it’s part of this complex.” Kara continued. 

Alex had brought it up on the Tower screens. 

“It’s a children’s cancer center,” Alex informed her sister. “I have no idea how to pronounce that name,” she spouted, just as Supergirl had made her way down to the building and out of the trees to see the name on the side. The Storeen Children’s Cancer Center. “I’m trying to figure out who owns it.” Alex continued to type on the Tower console in front of her. 

“I can hear it, Alex.” Kara closed her eyes and concentrated. “It’s here, somewhere, but this really is a cancer center,” she continued as she scanned the building, seeing dozens of sick children and families inside. “I can’t just bust inside. There’s got to be something else here.” Or someone else, the hero thought. 

Meanwhile Lillian was making her way out of the elevator and back to the black box. She reattached a monitor. Lena immediately appeared. 

“Ready to give in to my terms?” Lillian smirked. Lena wasn’t certain anyone was looking for her. She thought for sure Supergirl would have found her by now. Unless... 

“Where am I, Mother?” Lena demanded. She looked at her surrounding again and recognized absolutely nothing. She had studied every single one of the Luthor bunkers. This wasn’t one of them. There were no windows and zero identifying marks. 

“Like I said, somewhere no one will ever find you.” Lillian walked closer to the black box. She picked it up. “Quite ingenious of you.” The matriarch of the Luthor family was truly impressed. “You attacked both Lex and Leviathan from the inside out. They never saw it coming.” 

“I had help.” Lena snarled as she continued to try and find a way to remotely connect with something. Anything. Lillian’s cell phone. That might work. 

“Oh yes, that friend of yours from boarding school. That Hispanic girl. What was her name? Maria?” Lillian waved a hand. 

“Andrea.” Lena stated through virtual gritted teeth. “Andrea Rojas.” 

“I wouldn’t have thought she was smart enough to find her way out of a paper sack.” Lillian had never liked any of Lena’s friends. Especially any of her ethnic friends. They might as well have been aliens. Andrea had realized that Lex and her mentor Gemma were up to something and had come to Lena for help. Lena couldn’t give away that she was aware that Lex was working with her friend behind her back but did have Andrea show her what she knew about what was happening. And of course, Lex hadn’t been completely transparent or truthful with Lena. He was working with Leviathan, not against them, and Gemma was more than she appeared to be. He hadn’t changed. She had considered going to Supergirl with what she found, but she wasn’t sure anyone would listen to her at this point. She had continued working with Lex, despite Supergirl’s warning, because she knew she had to. She was the only one that could stop him when he returned to his psychopathic murdering ways. She knew it was possible that doing so would mean the end of any hope of reconciliation with Kara, but she just couldn’t take the chance. It turned out to be the right choice. She just hoped that Kara would be able to put the pieces together in the aftermath. 

“Oh yes, the Rojas girl.” Lillian snapped Lena out of her thoughts. “Quite the troublemaker.” 

“Ha! That’s funny coming from the mother of a murdering psychopath,” Lena snapped back writing code as quickly as she could to tap into Lillian’s phone. 

“Call your brother what you will.” Lillian set the black box down hard. “He’s out here in one piece and you...” she trailed off. 

Got it. Lena thought to herself. She traced a line back to the Tower and this time sent one word, then immediately disconnected, to avoid being attacked by the system. The Tower screens all lit up at the same time with the same word. 

“Kara, I’ve got something.” Alex seemed tense. 

“What is it?” Kara waited for an answer. 

“All my screens just lit up with the work UNDERGROUND,” Alex barked back. Kara scanned the ground again. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

“Alex, there’s nothing here,” Kara replied wondering if her hearing was off or if she was chasing a false lead. 

“Nothing?” Alex questioned. “No plumbing, no electric, no...” Kara cut her off. 

“Hey yeah, nothing,” she realized. There should be. She looked closer and realized the pipes heading down just disappeared. Same with all the utilities. They weren’t capped, or running off somewhere else, they just disappeared under the cancer center. 

“I’m going to spin down and take a look,” the hero explained. 

“Kara, be careful. We don’t know what kind of traps there might be,” Alex warned. “This could all be one big elaborate trap set by the Luthors for all we know.” 

“I’ll be careful.” Kara focused. Her plan was to spin down, away from the cancer center, through the Earth at an angle and then super speed dig toward the area where everything seemed to just disappear. She took a deep breath, looked around and spun, quickly drilling several stories down. She stopped to listen. The sound of Lena’s heartbeat clearer and louder than before. She started digging toward it. 

Back inside Lillian’s lair, the older Luthor was once again making threats. 

“I’m tired of playing, Lena,” Lillian sighed. “I hold all the cards. You either help me or I shelve you.” 

“Go ahead, shelve me,” Lena countered. “You only think you hold all the cards.” The truth was that Lillian was right. Lena had nothing. She was bluffing. And honestly, Lena had never been great at that. “My Mother sacrificed her life to save this world, and so will I.” Before Lillian could respond the walls began to vibrate and suddenly a wall burst through, Supergirl emerging from it. 

“Supergi...” Lena had started to shout as Lillian unplugged the black box and held it close to her. 

“Well, well.” Lillian tried not to act surprised, but Kara could tell she had caught her completely off-guard. 

“Hand over the box.” Supergirl spoke in a commanding tone and held out her hand. She could still hear Lena’s heartbeat and it was beating much faster than before. 

“Clearly, I’ve underestimated my daughter again,” Lillian smirked. “That’s unfortunate for you both.” The well-dressed woman pulled something from her pocket. “Do you know what this is?” Lillian asked, holding out some sort of gun looking device. Kara narrowed her eyes. Her heart was racing. She was bracing for the worst. “It’s an EMP gun.” Alex was listening to everything over the coms. 

“Kara, an EMP will destroy that box. It’ll fry it and...” Before Alex could even finish, Kara clapped her hands as hard as she could in Lillian’s direction. Screens exploded, furniture and cords flew across the room, along with Lillian. As she landed, the box fell from her arms and slid across the floor. Kara used her super speed and picked it up. 

“Lena is good. I won’t let you hurt her anymore.” Kara secured Lillian and sat the box down to check it over. “I’ve got it Alex.” She placed both her hands on top and closed her eyes as the pulse of Lena’s heartbeat traveled through her. 

“She’ll never trust you again,” Lillian hissed. Kara turned and looked her directly in the eyes. 

“Maybe not, but that’s her choice. Not yours. I let your words keep me from telling her my secret. That fear that she’d hate me, just like you said. I should’ve known better than to let a Luthor dictate my choices. Lena’s not a Luthor, though. She’s like her Mother. That’s something you can’t change. No matter how hard you try.” And with that she tucked the box under her arm, flew out of the building and toward the Tower. “I do believe in you, Lena. We’re going to get you out of here, I swear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! That chapter was a little longer than the others, but who am I to stop the muse? I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please let me know. Seriously, comments definitely motivate me to write more chapters. I hope you are all practicing your social distancing and staying in. Be safe out there, kids. Thanks for reading!


	5. Connected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Alex work to help Lena. Kara will need to call on a friend in Gotham.

IDKH 5: Connected 

Kara landed at the Tower and practically ran toward Alex, arms out, holding the black box with the glowing symbol in front. 

“It’s damaged. I don’t know how bad. Can you fix it? Is it okay? What do we do?” Kara was speaking so fast that Alex’s head was spinning. 

“Calm down, don’t worry. Let me look it over.” Alex took the box very carefully and turned it over in her hands. It had some slight scratches and cracks but otherwise looked intact. “I’ve reset the Tower to recognize the signal as a friendly, so we shouldn’t have an issue with the defenses this time.” Alex had barely finished her thought when all the tower monitors started flickering and both women could hear a voice trying to break through the static. 

“K...a, ..,” the disembodied voice crackled. 

“Lena?” Kara called back concerned. “Lena, we’re here. Alex is trying to figure it out.” 

Alex scrunched her brow, hoping she could figure this out, otherwise...well, she was just not going to go there. The images wavered and faltered, going in and out and finally coming together. Not perfect, but at least in a familiar formation. A young Lena Luthor. 

“Lena, are you alright?” ?The hero was obviously anxious as she wrung her hands while facing the largest monitor. A wave wrinkled the image on the screen. Lena looked like a video game image, not completely real, but at the same time hyper-real. Her lips were moving, but there was no sound. “Alex?” Kara turned to her sister. “I can’t hear her.” 

“I’m working on it. Just a few more tweaks and let’s see if we can clear this up here and...” before Alex finished her sentence the speakers came to life with the sound of Kara’s name. 

“Kara, can you hear me?” Lena spoke. Her voice was soft and clear. 

“Yes!” Kara walked closer to the monitor. “Yes, we can hear you. Are you alright? What happened. How...” Kara was rattling off questions at lightning speed. 

“I’m okay. For the moment,” Lena answered. That answer gave the blonde no comfort. 

“I have no idea how you pulled this off,” Alex walked up beside Kara, “but color me impressed. I mean, I knew you were a genius, but this is some next level tech, Luthor.” Lena managed to pull her gaze from Kara to Alex. 

“Hello, Alex.” Lena’s eyes looked sad but it was hard to tell for sure. “Thank you.” Alex just pressed her lips together and nodded. There was an awkward silence. Alex took it as her queue to leave her sister and Lena alone. She cleared her throat and started to walk away, but unexpectedly the digital image spoke up. “Kara, Alex, I know there’s a substantial amount of explaining I need to do, but I need your help first. Well, more of your help.” Alex had turned back around. 

“Of course, Lena. Whatever you need,” Kara spurted out. 

“Ummm, excuse us for a second.” Alex smiled at the visage on the monitor in front of her as she pulled her over eager sister to the side as best, she could. 

“What?” Kara looked utterly confused. “She needs help. We have to help her.” 

“First off, are we 100 percent sure that’s Lena?” Alex crinkled her brow as she looked over Kara to the familiar face. “Second, how do we know this isn’t some trick by Lex or Lillian or something else entirely? Leviathan had some pretty convincing NPC’s when I was in there.” Alex’s concern was understandable, but Kara refused to believe any of those things. It had to be Lena, otherwise Lena had perished. Died when Luthor Corp exploded. Kara refused to even consider it. 

“Let’s just hear her out,” Kara pleaded. “We don’t even know what she’s going say.” Kara was already pulling away back to the person in question. 

“All I’m saying is, let’s be careful,” Alex managed to get out before Kara was standing in front of the screen again. Kara shot her sister a look of disdain. 

“I understand your misgivings, Alex,” the digital form tried to reassure the ex-DEO Director. “You’re a person that has to have their trust earned, and I lost it. You’re not just going to hand it back to me.” She smiled that sad smile again as Alex crossed her arms and sighed. “But this is urgent.” Kara’s face was full of anxiety. “I need you to help me get back to my body.” Alex’s eyebrows went up and Kara audibly gasped. 

“So, it...you weren’t in the explosion?” Alex queried. 

“No,” the youngest Luthor answered. “I secured my body in a different location before I uploaded myself,” she continued. “I knew that if Leviathan or Lex caught on to me, they would have me killed.” Kara felt a pang in her soul. She couldn’t imagine having a sibling like that. She trusted Alex with her life. “My brother implanted a chip in me when he rescued me during Crisis,” Lena revealed, putting rescued in air quotes. 

“Rao, that’s rotten...” Kara started fuming. 

“Look, the problem is, the chip is still in my body and I’m certain Lex has figured everything out by now.” She sighed heavily. “I simply rerouted the locator to make him think I was at Luthor Corp. If he turned on the locator app when I tried contacting him, he knows where I’m, my body is located” 

“You left it in? You went to Lex?” Kara was shouting. 

“Well, yes. I was hopeful that you wouldn’t give up on me, but just in case you had, I knew at least Lex would want my technology and would probably try to strike a bargain.” Lena looked to Kara. 

“I never gave up on you.” The hero stood up straighter. “Although, the flash drive you sent felt like a good-bye,” Kara stated a little confused. 

“Yes, I...can we come back to that a little later?” Lena seemed slightly embarrassed. Even for an AI. 

“Of course, yeah. Sorry.” Kara also seemed to be slightly embarrassed once she remembered the USB drive also contained Lena’s declaration of love. 

So, how do we...” Before Alex could finish, Lena had exactly what they needed up on one of the Tower monitors. 

“There’s a facility in Gotham,” the former L-Corp CEO explained. “It was something one of Lex’s associates set up for him should he ever catch Superman.” Kara flinched. Lena noticed and felt guilty despite not having any involvement other than being Lex’s sibling. The screens lit up with different camera images from inside the facility. 

“Okay, so what are we looking at, Luthor?” Alex had her hands on her hips. She wasn’t crazy about going to Gotham. 

“Those are the same pods Lex had my double in!” Kara recognized them. “And that you...” she stopped mid-sentence. Lena didn’t know about the time Agent Liberty had put her in one to kill her. That was an alternate timeline. One that was almost perfect. If it hadn’t been for everyone else she loved being killed by Agent Liberty. “Never mind.” Kara’s gaze dropped to the floor. She hadn’t had a lunch date with Lena since then. Or a hug. 

“It’s a cryo-containment pod,” Lena explained, watching Kara with some curiosity. 

“So, you’re a TV dinner.” Alex said aloud. Kara looked at her is horror. “What?” the older Danvers shrugged. 

“What’s a TV Dinner?” Lena questioned. 

“Nothing. Ignore her. She’s a horrible human being.” Kara was shaking her head, still looking at her sister. 

“Okay.” The billionaire ex-CEO was slightly confused as to what had just transpired but she continued. “I need you to retrieve my body before Lex gets ahold of it and bring it back here. Then we can start working on a way to download me back into it.” 

“Wait, work on a way?” Alex was more than concerned. 

“You mean, you haven’t figured that part out yet?” Kara’s put her hands on both sides of her face. 

“No,” Lena said bluntly. 

“So, we need the cryo-pod, too.” Alex rubbed her forehead. This was getting complicated. How on Earth were she and Kara going to get to Gotham, sneak a Cryo-pod out and back to National city without anyone questioning what was going on. 

“Yes. Unless the DEO...” Lena was hopeful.   
“I don’t work at the DEO anymore.” Alex crossed her arms and frowned. “Your brother made that impossible.” Again, Lena felt incredible guilt. It wasn’t her fault that Lex had caused Alex to leave, but she still felt responsible. She should have stopped him sooner. 

“Alex,” Kara softly pulled on her arm. “It isn’t Lena’s fault.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t know if we have the resources to pull this off.” Alex looked at Kara with worry in her eyes. They always had unlimited resources at the DEO and even Lena had stepped up when they ran into trouble, with whatever they needed help with. The lead dispersal device, the Harun-El and more. “I don’t suppose you have another resourceful genius billionaire friend?” Alex half-laughed. 

“Actually, yeah. I do!” Kara’s eyes lit up like Christmas. “Well, not a genius, but probably exactly what we need.” Alex and Lena both looked at the young Kryptonian incredulously. She scrolled through the contacts on her phone and looked up with a smile. “Kate Kane. She’ll help us. I know it.” 

“You know Kate Kane?” Lena was surprised. “How?” 

“Yeah. Do you?” Kara was slightly concerned. 

“Yes. The Kanes hobnobbed with Lionel and Lillian when I was younger. Kate and I...hung out from time to time.” Alex raised her eyebrows and turned away from the conversation, pretending to do something to one of the computers. She was pretty sure just by the way the youngest Luthor said “hung out” that it was much more than that. 

“Oh. Well, yeah, I...” Kara was totally flailing. She stopped. Took a deep breath and tried something new. “I can’t tell you how I know her,” her tone turning serious. “I don’t want to lie to you.” 

“Oh.” Lena seemed a little caught off guard. “Okay.” 

“I met her when I was doing some Supergirl business and needed her help,” she continued. Alex was looking at her like she was insane. “I can’t say any more than that.” 

“Okay,” Lena repeated. “Fair enough.” 

“Okay.” Alex stepped forward with a wide gesture of her arms. “So, Kara and I will go to Gotham, you stay here. I mean, er...um, you’ll be safe here.” The older Danvers tried badly to recover. 

“No, I’m going alone.” Kara crossed her arms and looked at Alex. “I need you to stay here and start working on a way to get Lena out of there.” She looked up at Lena softly. 

“Kara,” both Lena and Alex spoke at the same time. “Lex is already on his way. He won’t hesitate to kill you.” Alex pleaded. 

“She’s right.” Even in a digital version it was good to see that Lena cared so much about her. “Anything good that I thought he had left in him is gone. He’s completely lost. He probably has Kryponite with him. He practically carries it wherever he goes.” 

“I know.” Kara stood tall, hands on her hips. “I’ll have help.” And before either one of them could say another word she was off. Alex and Lena looked at each other for a moment. Both with worry on their faces. 

“Well, where do we start?” Alex asked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5. Are you guys still with me? I hope so. Remember, comments help me know you're still along for the ride. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Stay home and stay safe.


	6. World's Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl and Batwoman team up to get Lena's body back, but will this plan work or is Lena doomed to be an AI forever?

IDKH 6: World’s Finest 

Supergirl landed at Wayne Tower and she couldn’t lie, she was beyond excited to see Kate. They had worked together twice now and the last time they had really bonded. Kate had kept her from frying Lex on the spot and she hoped that maybe, perhaps, she might not only help save Lena, but give her some advice. Advice she felt a little uncomfortable talking to her sister about. Kara and Alex were closer than they ever had been, but there are some things that are just weird to talk to your sister about. She had been over the moon to get to write Batwoman’s coming out story and Kate had seemed very at ease talking to her about it. She was also sure Batwoman was her best bet to save Lena and put Lex back behind bars. Which, now that she thought about it, wasn't he was supposed to be there anyway? She was going to have to have Kara Danvers write a story on the lack of security and corruption at Ryker’s island. Apparently, the Warden didn't learn his lesson from the last time she was there. The balcony doors swung open and out waltzed Kate. 

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Supergirl?” Kate smiled a smile that made Kara feel a little funny in her solar plexus. “Can I get you to step inside, out of the prying eyes of Gotham?” She tilted her head toward the opening and motioned toward the door. “Batwoman may be out, but I’d rather not have to explain why Kate Kane is hanging out with the Girl of Steel on a Tuesday afternoon.” 

“Oh, golly, I didn’t mean to...” Kara turned 3 shades of red. Kate chuckled. 

“Don’t worry about it.” She continued to smile and shook her head a bit. “So, I assume this isn’t a social call?" she looked Kara's suit up and down with curiosity. The smaller woman sat on the big wooden desk in the office. Kara’s face got serious. 

“I need your help,” the hero started. She was wringing her hands. “It’s Lex.” 

“Luthor?” Kate stood up straight. 

“He’s here, in Gotham.” Kara started pacing back and forth. “He’s going after Lena.” 

“Again?” Kate was already moving toward the case with Martha’s necklace. “Wait, didn’t Lena help Lex with that whole Oblivion thing?” 

“Obsidian. And not exactly. It’s complicated.” Kara watched as Kate turned the case with the necklace and a secret entrance opened. “Oh my..., you have a secret door?!” The young hero was giddy. Kate just laughed as Kara stood still in awe. 

“Welcome to the Batcave.” She motioned to the opening while playing it extremely cool. 

“THE Batcave?” Kara’s mouth dropped open. “Like, Batman’s Batcave?” She continued as she stepped through the opening. 

“Well, yeah, but for now, it’s Batwoman’s Batcave.” She scowled a little, but Kara was too busy looking around as they descended. As the doors opened, the Maid of Might stepped out and twirled around as she took it all in. 

“Wow, this is amazing.” Kara was grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, has my cousin been here?” She asked frowning a little at the thought that Kal had beat her to it. 

“Um, probably,” Kate replied as she started typing something into the Bat Computer. 

“Man!” Kara kicked her foot against the floor in envy. 

“Is there anything you can give me on Lex?” Kate was trying to ignore the fact that Kara was excited and envious of Batman and Superman and less impressed with Batwoman. 

“Lex, right. Sorry.” Kara realized she was wasting valuable time and walked over to Kate. My sister said to give you this code.” Kara had whipped out her phone and held it up for Kate to see. 

“Okay.” Kate looked a little puzzled and looked at Kara. 

“Oh, and she said to disarm any security protocols,” Kara continued. 

“Ummm, what is this exactly?” Kate was hesitant. The last thing she wanted to do was open up the system to hacking. 

“It’s how we find Lena and stop Lex.” She looked at Kate with pleading eyes and that was all the Gotham hero needed. She turned off the security protocols, quickly entered the numbers on Kara’s phone and jumped back a bit when an image of Lena Luthor filled the screen in front of her. 

“I’ve reset your firewalls and security systems,” the familiar voice said. “Everything should be secure. Hello, Kate.” 

“Lena?” Kate stepped back, looked at Kara in disbelief and then back to her monitor. “What is this?” 

“Lena downloaded herself before taking down Leviathan and Obsidian,” Kara began explaining the situation. 

“You did what, now?” Kate addressed the screen in front of her. 

“We need your help Kate,” Lena interrupted. “Lex undoubtedly has reached my body as we speak.” Kate could not believe what she was seeing. 

“Wait, wait. Your body is somewhere separate from your brain?” Kate looked back and forth between the two women in the cave. 

“Not her brain, exactly. Her mind.” Kara shrugged. 

“This is so you.” Kate shook her head as she put both hands on the console. 

“Excuse me?’ Lena sounded offended. Kara’s brow creased. There’s was clearly something going on here that Kara didn’t understand. Lena had said she knew Kate. The young Danvers was beginning to think there was more history between the two than the young Luthor had let on. 

“People have been working on ways to do this for decades,” Kate laughed. “And you just do it.” She looked up at her old friend. “What did it take you like, a week?” 

“A little longer than that.” Lena smiled a smile at Kate that made Kara feel a tad uncomfortable. 

“Okay.” Kate clapped her hands and looked back at Kara, who had jumped a little, then back to Lena. “Where do we start?” Lena brought up the directions to the bunker her body was in, then the cameras inside the bunker, but as she did a familiar face popped into view. 

“Oh, no you don’t,” the small bald man said as he reached for the camera, effectively ending the feed. 

“He’s there!” Kara seemed panicked and ready to rush off. 

“Wait!” Both Kate and Lena said in unison. 

“We can’t just rush in,” Kate began. 

“Lex will undoubtably be ready for you, Kara,” Lena finished. 

“I know that,” Kara snapped as she looked directly at the digital image of the young Luthor. “But what am I supposed to do? He’s got your body.” The hero paced back and forth. 

“Slow down. Come up with a plan. You can’t just rush in and start punching.” Lena remained calm but was clearly tense. 

“We don’t have time for a complicated plan,” Kara insisted. “We’ve got to move, now.” Kara was worried about Lex’s intentions and Lena felt moved by how she was willing to do anything to help her get her body, but she was also terrified of what her brother could do. 

“Kara...” Lena started. 

“I’ve never liked your brother. I’m sorry, Lena.” Supergirl clenched both her fists. “I’ve never trusted him. I’ve beat him before. I can do it again. But you’re right.” She looked at the monitor a bit concerned. “He’ll be ready for me. So, I’ll be smart. I won’t rush in punching. No matter how much I want to.” The two young women locked eyes. Kate looked between the two and any suspicion she had about the way they felt about each other after talking to Kara during Crisis was confirmed. A Luthor and a Super. Huh. That seemed even more complicated than her relationship choices. 

“Alright,” Kate knew Kara wasn’t going to wait around. “I’ll take on Lex. You get Lena.” 

“You’ve got to get the entire cryo-pod,” Lena interrupted. 

“What?” Kate turned and looked at the digital woman like she was insane. 

“I can carry it,” Supergirl commented as if it was no big deal. “But I can’t come into direct contact with Kryptonite. If I do, I’ll be too weak to lift it out.” 

“Oh, okay. Sure.” Kate ran both hands through her short hair. “So, I distract Lex and kick his ass, while you grab the whole pod.” 

“Right,” Both Lena and Kara replied in unison. 

“I’ve always wanted to kick your brother’s ass.” Kate smirked at Lena. “He never treated you right.” Kara shot an uncertain look at Lena. Lena was obviously caught a little of guard just by her reaction. There was more history between these two than Lena had let on. She wasn’t exactly sure why that was bothering her. Kate hadn’t let on at all that she knew Lena during Crisis. Maybe she didn’t before. Maybe that changed when the Earth’s merged. If it had, then why did Lena seem to know what Kate was referencing? None of that mattered now. She shook her thoughts free and looked at Kate. 

“Let’s go,” Kara commanded. Kate nodded and in less than five minutes, Kate was suited up and they were off to the location that held Lena’s body. 

“Kara,” Lena spoke softly. “Kate. Please, be careful.” 

“Don’t worry,” Kate grinned knowingly. “I won’t let anything happen to her,” she finished as she hopped on her motorcycle, starting it with a rumble. Kara looked to Lena and the digital image was blush and looking down, shaking her head and grinning. Kara smiled and blushed a little herself. The cave wall opened and both heroes were off. Kara stealing one last glance back at Lena’s image only to find Lena staring back. Her heart skipped a beat. With any luck, the young hero would have both Lena’s body and mind at the Tower in a matter of hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! A bonus chapter this month. Hope you are all well and still practicing social distancing. I am and it makes for great writing time. After so much struggle last chapter this one just flowed out like ink from a pen. Hope you enjoy! Comments and Kudos always welcome.


	7. Having A Blast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl and Batwoman team-up to retrieve Lena's body as Alex and Digital Lena have a heart to heart. Will Lex be successful in stealing Lena's body before the Superheroes arrive?

IDKH 7: Having A Blast 

Supergirl landed a few minutes before Batwoman arrived and she was getting a bit antsy. Knowing she was so close and watching what Lex was doing inside via her x-ray vision was just about to get the best of her, but then she heard Kate’s motorcycle and knew she was only a few blocks away. She’d wait. The darkly clad hero pulled up, hopped off and ran to the Super’s side. 

“Okay, remember, I get Lex, you get Lena,” Kate reminded the blonde hero with a wink. 

“Right,” Supergirl confirmed as she shot Batwoman a look. “He’s with the cryo-pod now, so you’re going to have to lure him away somehow,” she informed her crime-fighting friend. 

“Ideas?” the Gotham hero asked. “He knows you’re coming. He doesn’t know I am.” 

“Go in punching?” Kara shrugged. “I mean, he won’t see that coming.” 

“Isn’t that exactly what Lena said not to do?” Kate held out her hands and looked dubious. 

“For me, not you,” the Kryptonian maintained. The woman in the cowl shook her head as Supergirl punched a hole in the wall beside the door. 

“What the h...?” Kate gestured to the door. 

“The door has alarms rigged to it,” the taller woman explained. “If I ripped it open, they’d go off,” she continued as she stepped through the hole. “We can’t cut the power because Lena’s pod needs to run as long as possible before I have to disconnect it and get it to National City.” Kate groaned. This plan was all over the place. 

“Okay.” She nodded as she stepped through behind Kara and digested everything her alien friend had just said. Alarms or not, she was pretty sure Lex heard a Kryptonian punching through the wall. “What about the cameras?” If she was going to take Lex by surprise, the cameras needed disabled. 

“I’ll hit them with my heat vision as I come across them,” Kara said nonchalantly. “Don’t you have some sort of disruptor? Like a localized EMP or something? Kal told me a story about Batman using EMP batarangs once.” Kate raised her eyebrows as Kara looked back at her. 

“EMP batarangs,” she repeated. “I’ll have to have Luke look into that.” She checked her belt and was happy to find a small handheld EMP jammer. “I've got this.” She held it up, making an unsure face. 

“Great!” Kara nodded. “You head that way and I’ll come around from the other side.” Before Kate could even answer her or ask for any further details, her eager partner was out of sight. 

“Okay.” Kate tilted her head. “I guess I go this way.” She switched her suit to night mode, the eyes of her cowl going white, and began to look for cameras as she slinked down the hall toward her goal. 

Back at the Tower, Lena and Alex were working on theories and running equations to find a way to reverse what Lena had done to herself. It wasn’t going to well. 

“If we gradually transfer information to each neuron...” Alex was studying the information in front of her. 

“There are 86 billion neurons, Alex.” Lena was calculating a different set of information at the same time she was answering Alex. 

“So?” Alex looked at the digital image of her fellow scientist. “I didn’t say it would be fast.” 

“It would take years,” Lena’s eyes were glowing green as she processed information. “Not to mention that you need to get the right information to the right neuron. Sensory information needs to get to sensory neurons and motor...” 

“I know, I know,” Alex cut her off and walked away from the computer. 

“Alex...” Lena’s eyes stopped glowing and her face showed concern. “Are you okay?” 

“I can’t believe you did this.” Alex turned around; arms crossed. 

“What?” Lena looked a little offended. 

“We thought you were dead.” Alex pursed her lips. “We thought we lost you. And then...we thought you were dead.” 

“Well, it wasn’t like you didn’t try to kill me before,” Lena shot back, referencing the time Alex had missiles aimed at her. 

“Do you even realize how much pain Kara has been in?” Alex threw her arms out to her sides, completely ignoring that last comment. Lena felt a stab to her heart, despite not having a tangible body. “She wasn’t sleeping. She wasn’t eating. Then we lost Jeremiah.” Alex was pacing now as she ranted. 

“I killed Lex,” Lena argued. “Sure, he’s fine now, but I killed my brother because...” Lena closed her eyes tightly. “I couldn’t imagine my life without Kara Danvers.” She opened her eyes, tears pooling inside. Alex’s face went from frustrated to sympathetic. “I couldn’t imagine a world where the one person who always stood up for me, who always believed in me, who was always there for me, was dead. Because of my brother,” her voice cracked. “I had to protect her.” 

“That wasn’t your job,” Alex interjected, pointing to Lena. “It’s mine.” She then pointed to herself. “The DEO and J’onn had her back. You didn’t have to do that. Any of that.” 

“I didn’t know that,” Lena practically shouted back. Alex jumped a little. She'd never heard Lena yell before. “I fell in love with her, Alex.” Lena’s voice was soft, unsure if Kara had shared what was on the USB drive, she had sent. “I didn’t mean to, but I did. How could I not? No one has ever shown me the kind of compassion Kara Danvers did,” she continued; Alex understood. “And I fell in love with her. I didn’t know she was Supergirl.” Lena was rubbing her forehead with her hand. Alex felt like she’d been punched in the gut. They should have told her. “I murdered someone, the only other person I loved, the person who accepted me when no one else would, for an alien that has the power of a god.” The youngest Luthor laughed to herself. “And I broke.” She hung her head in shame. All the anger drained out of Alex. She understood what it was to break. “And then, to top it all off, he didn’t stay dead. Do you have any idea how confusing that was?” Alex had to admit, Lena had a whole lot to deal with all in the span of like a week. 

“She wanted to tell you.” Alex frowned as she spoke softly. “She wanted to tell you the day she met you.” Alex laughed. “I told her to wait.” Lena looked up, pain all over her face. “You were a Luthor.” Lena looked away. “But then, you weren’t.” The raven-haired woman looked back at Alex. “You were our Lena. Our beautiful, eccentric, world saving genius.” Alex shook her head. “Kara wasn’t the only one that that cared about you.” Lena’s eyes were streaming with tears. “We all did. We all do,” she corrected herself. 

“Alex...” Lena was embarrassed and was incredibly uncomfortable around people who got emotional. She was raised never to show emotion. People didn’t need to love you, they just needed to benefit you. She never really believed that. 

“I understand why you felt betrayed.” Alex wished she could touch her friend. “I do. But what I don’t understand was why you chose Lex, even after Kara explained to you. Even after I came to you. After we worked together.” 

“Lex was the thing I knew,” Lena sighed. “He might use me for his own means, but he needed me. Wanted me, by his side.” She fought against her own emotions when speaking of her brother. “And deep down, I knew he wouldn’t stop,” she admitted. “He was my responsibility.” 

“But he isn’t,” the older Danvers insisted. 

“But Kara is yours?” Lena shot back, hoping Alex understood the similarity. 

“That’s different.” Alex felt a little uncomfortable with the comparison. 

“Why?” the younger woman pushed. 

“Well, for starters, Kara’s not a megalomaniac psychopath,” Alex stated bluntly. 

“But that’s exactly why he is my responsibility. Lex wasn’t always bad.” Lena’s brow creased. “Or maybe he was.” The digital woman somehow looked exhausted. “I think you develop a blind spot for those types of people when you grow up with one, or two, or more.” She sighed heavily. 

“Probably,” Alex had no idea what living with someone like Lex Luthor would do to you. Let alone Lillian or Lionel. She hadn’t thought of Lena as an abuse survivor. She always seemed so sure of herself. So put together. Years of gaslighting and mental abuse had to mess a person up. Kelly had mentioned that Lena showed signs much like domestic abuse patients she had worked with. That perhaps she had returned to Lex, for the same reason women that are abused both mentally and physically often return to their abusers. Their situation might be horrible, but it is familiar and in a weird way, comforting, Kelly had explained. They are so afraid of being unlovable, that they return to the one person that seems to love them, no matter how awful. “I’m sorry,” was all Alex could think to say. 

“No, I’m sorry.” Lena looked up. “For all of this. For everything.” 

“I’m pretty sure you’re not responsible for everything, Luth...” Alex stopped. “Lena.” The two women smiled at each other and stood in silence for a moment. Impulsively, the ex-DEO Director clapped her hands. “Now, let’s figure out how to get that genius brain back where it belongs.” 

“Alex,” Lena wished she could hug the older Danvers, even though she was sure Alex would absolutely protest. “Thank you.” 

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.” Alex grinned. “Oh, and just for the record, I’m rooting for you two. We all are.” Lena felt something strange but wonderful. Maybe this was how family was supposed to make you feel. Maybe they could forgive her. Maybe, it wasn’t too late. 

Back at the cryo-facility, Kate had made it to the room Lex was in. She was pressed up against the wall just outside. She wondered where Kara was. She peered around the corner and saw Kara directly across from her giving her a thumbs up with a big grin. She closed her eyes and shook her head. This was certainly a different mission than the one they had been on in the Crisis. She looked back at Supergirl and the red caped hero was shrugging. Kate raised her figure to her lips. Lex was very focused on getting the cryo-pod open. She came around the door and slowly made her way toward him. 

“Supergirl,” Lex said aloud as he continued to work. Kate froze and looked toward Kara who had ducked back at the sound of her name. “You’re late.” As Lex turned around, he stumbled back a bit. “Well, this is unexpected.” Kate didn’t hesitate and threw a punch that landed squarely on his nose. 

“Ow!” the older Luthor screamed. He calmly and quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. “That is a terrible way to introduce yourself.” Kate just stood there, fists up and watched as he tended to his nose. “I guess the Kryptonian has goons now.” He smirked in Kate’s direction. It took the dark costumed hero a moment to realize he was calling her a goon. Kara was watching from the other side and motioning Kate to get him out of the room. Lex caught the bat-crested hero looking past him and smiled. Of course, the Kryptonian nuisance was here as well. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Batwoman.” He spit out her name like it was foul in his mouth. 

“I’m here for that.” Kate nodded to the cryo-pod. 

“Oh, really?” Lex stated indignantly. “And how to you expect to get it out of here? Last I heard, you don’t have super strength. Hmm?” He placed both hands on his hips and gave her a once over. Kate was getting really annoyed with how smug he was. 

“One step at a time.” Kate pursed her lips and made a bit of a smacking noise. “Getting you out of the way is step one.” Kate threw another punch and the small older man dodged it. He was surprisingly agile. Before she could throw another one, Lex produced a small taser and held it to Kate’s ribs. Her suit absorbed most of the shock, but she took enough of a jolt to discombobulate her long enough for him to open a drawer and produce a glowing glove. It began to charge. 

“No!” Kara screamed as she swept Kate up and out of harm’s way. She had underestimated him. Again. 

“Well, well,’” Lex grinned knowingly. “There you are.” 

“I’m not letting you out of here with Lena.” Kara stood between Lex and his sister’s body. Kate was back on her feet and trying to figure out how to stop this maniac. 

“You don’t have much of a choice.” Lex reached inside his coat pocket, removed a lead ring case and opened it. The green glow had an immediate effect on Supergirl. Green veins were visible on her face and neck and she groaned in pain as she collapsed to the floor. “This is a highly concentrated dose I developed just for you, Supergirl.” He grinned as he opened a compartment on the luminescent glove he was wearing. Before he could finish, however, Kate had knocked the green rock from his hand and the older Luthor flat on his ass. As he looked back to scowl at who had surprised him, a boot was all he saw coming. With Lex seemingly incapacitated, Kate ran over and scooped up the Kryptonite and placed it back into the lead case. 

“Are you okay?” Batwoman asked, as she helped Supergirl to her feet. 

“Yeah, it’s a good thing he hates Kryptonians so much.” She smiled as she rubbed the back of her head. “He completely forgot you were here.” Supergirl winced a little as the Kryptonite still burned in her veins. 

“I don’t know if he forgot or just didn’t care.” The Crimson Knight huffed. “I don’t think he thought I was much of a threat. Honestly, I’m a little insulted.” Kara smiled at her. Kate Kane might not have superpowers, but she was pretty sure she preferred that to having a weakness like Kryptonite. To have the strength of a god and have it stripped away from you in seconds, that would be...hard. Not to mention, it looked really painful. “Do you have the strength to do this?” Kate asked as she helped Kara over to the cryo-pod. 

“Yeah, just give me a second. By the time we have this unhooked and ready to go, I should be fine.” She stopped and stared at something that made her uneasy. 

“Ummm, what is that?” Kate looked at Kara and back at the same thing Supergirl had noticed. 

“It’s a bomb.” Lex’s voice echoed as the dynamic duo turned to see the elder Luthor standing, fully recovered and holding something new in his hands. 

“Lex...,” Kara started, her eyes glowing, ready to incinerate him on the spot. 

“Uh, uh. Don’t move an inch and no powers or I push this button and kaboom!” he threatened. 

“You wouldn’t dare harm yourself, Lex.” Kara made a step toward him, eyes still glowing. 

“You’re right.” He leered at her as he pushed a button on his gloved hand. A Lexo suit unfolded around him, encasing him in a bomb-proof metallic cover. Kara froze. 

“I’ve got him,” Kate growled as she charged up her EMP device. Kara looked down at Kate’s hand and smiled. “Just grab Lena’s body and get out of here.” 

“I’m done playing,” Lex shouted in a deadly serious tone. “You’re not getting Lena. You’ve poisoned her mind. Twisted it against me.” Supergirl’s super hearing gave her cause for worry as he seemed more and more agitated, his heart rate skyrocketing. He continued to rant. “She’s mine. Not yours. She used to love me. Believe in me. ME!” he screamed. The Maid of Might had never seen Lex this unhinged. Clark and Lena had both relayed stories of his madness, but to see it up close, in person was frightening. “Mine.” The small bald man looked directly at her and smiled a smile that would haunt her for years. Panic flooded the last daughter of Krypton’s soul when she heard the sound of the click as the button was pressed. She did the only thing she could think to do to save both Batwoman and Lena’s body. She ripped the door with the bomb off the cryo-pod and tossed it toward Lex, barely missing him, yet knocking him down as it made its way through several walls. She grabbed both Lena’s body and then Batwoman and super sped in the opposite direction, barely making it out, before debris spewed forth from the blast knocking her down. 

“Everyone, alright?” she asked as she checked Lena’s body for damage and then dusted herself off. 

“What happened?” Kate looked around utterly confused as she sat in a pile of rubble. 

“He pushed the button,” she said, as she put her hand out to help Kate up. 

“Is he...?” the shorter woman looked back at where they had been. 

“Dead?” Supergirl frowned. “I doubt it, but one can hope.” 

“So, you and Lena,” her caped friend started, Kara blushed a bit. “You two work things out, or...?” her face full of intrigue. 

“Yes, no... we’re working on it.” the modest hero bit her lip. “I wanted to ask you for some advice, however, I’ve got a new problem.” The hero motioned to Lena’s body, lying limp. 

“Is she dead?” Kate kneeled to check for a pulse on her friend’s lifeless looking body. There was one but it was extremely weak. 

“No, Rao, don’t even say that, but I do have a limited time to get her somewhere.” Supergirl wasn’t sure exactly how much time she had, and her heart and mind were racing. “You don’t happen to know where I can get another Cryo-pod, do you?” 

“Not unless you know where Victor Freeze is,” Gotham’s hero sighed. 

“Who?” the blonde hero was confused. She’d never heard of him. 

“That pod had Freeze industries all over it. He’s one of Batman’s old enemies,” Batwoman explained. “Turned his wife into a popsicle to save her.” Kara wasn’t really listening. She was racking her brain trying to figure out a way to get Lena’s body on ice as soon as possible. 

“Wait!” The girl of steel lit up. “I know exactly where to take her. Gotta go.” Supergirl gently lifted Lena up into her arms and was off, a thank you echoing back to Batwoman. 

“Okay.” The dark costumed hero blinked in disbelief. “You’re welcome. It was a...blast.” She shook her head and looked around one last time for any sign of Lex Luthor. She’d call the Crows and GCPD in to check for him. If they found him alive, he was headed for Arkham Asylum this time. She’d make sure of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, welcome back. This one is a little longer than unusual! Hooray, right? Over 3,000 words for you to devour! Thanks for riding along on this really fun journey with me. My lifeforce is sustained by comments and kudos, so let me know what you think! Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and I do have a tumblr where I share everything SuperCorp in the universe that I come across, as well as post some of my own art and episode/season/character guesses and rants. RogueArtistJyn. Same name, just with a Y instead of an E. Feel free to follow me over there if you want!


	8. Fortress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara managed to get Lena's body away from Lex but without the Cryo-Pod. With time ticking before Lena's heart stops, can Supergirl come up with an alternative?

IDKH 8: The Fortress 

Kara had wrapped Lena’s body as tightly as she could in her cape and cradled her as close as possible to her as she flew. She could still hear a faint heartbeat, and she knew every second counted. She tried not to think about the fact that despite carrying her in her arms, she wasn’t there. Her body was cold and lifeless and that turned Kara’s stomach when she thought about it. Lena was always so warm, her heartbeat so strong and steady. She’d always felt such a rush carrying the young Luthor in her arms. She was always completely professional about it, but she carried Lena differently than Alex or almost anyone else she had saved or caught falling from a great height. Lena would nuzzle close and close her eyes, always repeating how she absolutely hated flying. The hero would laugh because they were usually landing and the whole ordeal was over before it began. She’d set her down gently and there was always a moment. A moment where they were in each other's arms and their eyes would meet and Kara could feel her heart flip and she could hear Lena’s do the same. One of them would clear their throat and break the embrace and get on with business. As she held Lena’s body tight, she wondered if she’d ever get another moment like that? Why had she tried so hard to fight against her feelings? She couldn’t get distracted by all that right now. She needed to get to her destination. 

The Fortress. It had what Kara needed to keep Lena’s body safe and alive as they tried to figure out how to reverse engineer what she had done to herself. At least, she thinks it does. First things first, she needed to find that tracking chip. The weird magnetic field in the Bermuda triangle, the place Kal had moved and rebuilt the Fortress after Lex had accessed it and sabotaged it one too many times, would completely scramble the signal, but Kara wasn’t taking any chances. She gently placed Lena’s body on the ice bed. “Kelex,” she shouted out loud in the empty ice cavern. Kara had asked Brainy to reassemble and resurrect her Kryptonian robot and Fortress guard. He had been reluctant at first, seeing it as an inferior species, but Kara had argued it was either fix it or Brainy could stay and be the Fortress guard. 

“Kara Zor-El, how may I assist you?” The copper colored robot zoomed around scanning both Kara and Lena. His lights went from a soft blue glow to a red glow. “Level one threat. Level one threat.” The small robot became alarmed. 

“No, no, no.” Kara waved at the buzzing sentry. 

“Luthor DNA detected.” It continued to seem very irritated. “Lockdowns initiated”. As the Fortress began to go into lockdown mode Kara sighed. 

“Ukiem,” she spoke allowed. It was Kryptonian. Kelex immediately went from red to blue. 

“Passcode accepted.” Kelex moved to hover next to Supergirl. 

“Lena Luthor is permitted access when accompanied by me or Alex Danvers,” the hero commanded as she scanned her friend’s body for the tracking chip. 

“Instructions noted and saved,” the shiny inhabitant responded. 

“Prepare the Genesis Chamber for a human body,” Kara instructed. 

“The Genesis Chamber was not designed for humans, Kara Zor-El,” the Fortress guardian reported. 

“I know.” Kara hoped that wouldn’t matter. “It just has to keep her alive.” 

“As you wish.” Kelex zoomed away. The platform Kara had placed Lena on was full of Kryptonian tech and was monitoring her life signs. They were all very weak, and the hero’s heart beat a little faster when she saw the flat line for brain activity. It was strange, having her here, yet knowing it wasn’t really her. She had always wanted to give Lena a tour of the place and was so excited when she had come along to stop Lex, only to have it turn to pain with Lena’s betrayal. Here she was again, but she wasn’t in the beautiful body laying before the blue-eyed hero. It could be hours, days, years or.... never, before she saw those green eyes smile at her again. Kara softly ran her hand across Lena’s face. “Genesis chamber is online and ready to accept Ms. Luthor,” the Fortress caretaker informed the Kryptonian. 

“Thank you, Kelex.” Kara sighed as she took Lena’s hand. She used her x-ray vision once again to pinpoint the chip. Lex had inserted the device in the skin between her thumb and index finger. Before she did this, she wanted to make sure it was safe. “Kelex, what is the safest, most efficient way to remove or disable a microchip from someone.” 

“You should be able to simply use your heat vision for approximately 10 seconds and that will disable the chip. It will then need to be surgically removed. However, it will not cause any harm if it is simply left in place,” her robot companion instructed. That seemed easy enough. She turned Lena’s hand in hers and blushed at the feel of it. She really needed to get Lena’s mind back in her body as soon as possible. She focused in on the chip and took a deep breath. Ten seconds. Her eyes glowed and she shot a burst of heat directly at her target. She rescanned the area after and could see little difference, but Kelex assured her the signal and chip had been disabled. There was no longer any signal coming from the small cylinder. 

Kara gently picked up Lena and took her back to the chamber room. There she instructed Kelex to prepare her to be placed into the liquid that filled the chamber. The liquid would not only feed Lena’s body but keep her in a type of suspended animation until they needed to revive it. Kara had stepped out as the robot carefully dressed the woman’s body in the correct Genesis garments. They were white and form fitting with the family crest emblazoned on them. The suit also helped the body to absorb the oxygen her body would need to continue function. 

“Well, here goes.” The Kryptonian slowly walked Lena’s body down into the goo. Keeping her hearing focused on Lena’s vitals. 

“This was a rather brilliant deduction, Kara Zor-El.” Kelex whooshed by. “She should be in perfect hibernation within the Genesis liquid.” 

“Like Carbonite.” The blond would take much more joy in that once the danger passed. 

“Carbonite?’ Kelex queried. 

“Just ignore that,” Kara mumbled. 

She slowly let go of the body in her arms and she was inexplicably hit with a sadness she was finding hard to fight. She slowly stepped out of the chamber, not once taking her eyes off the woman that she now realized she loved, realizing there was a real chance they might never figure this mess out. Lena thought she was the one with walls, but Kara had them, too. When she thought Lena was siding with Lex, she had shut herself off. Decided to make it a black or white issue, which was ridiculous because Lena had never been a black or white person. She was always lingering in the grey. The fear of losing her was so strong that somewhere in the back of Kara’s mind she had decided it would be easier to just make her a villain. After Mxy had shown her that she just couldn’t win, that no matter what she did, she’d lose someone she loved, she couldn’t face the truth that she might not be able to save Lena. When Alex had posed the question, “Well, who is our Lena?” it scared the hell out of her. The Lena she was trying to save was a much darker version of her friend. Was it possible she had already lost her and not known it? Lena always seemed to find a way to help her understand topics for the better even when they still didn’t agree on them. It drew her in and helped her see different perspectives when she talked to Lena about how they each felt about certain trending matters. Alien detection devices, Alien Amnesty, gun rights, and so many other things. She always made her accept a human perspective. Like it or not, Kara Zor-El was an alien. Much more so than her cousin. Humans still perplexed her sometimes. Alex had done the same when she was growing up but was much more pessimistic about it. Kara was pretty sure she became so optimistic just to balance Alex’s pessimism. She smiled thinking of how much coming out and Maggie and especially Kelly had softened Alex. She washed the remnants of the chamber goo off her suit and checked Lena’s vitals one more time before exiting the chamber, Kelex hot on her heels. 

“If anything changes on Ms. Luthor’s vitals, contact me immediately, okay Kelex?” She spoke in a very serious tone to the shiny sentinel. 

“Yes, Kara Zor-El,” the protector replied. 

“Thank you.” The Girl of Steel nodded. 

“Now, let’s see if we can get Alex and Lena linked up here.” The Kryptonian was much more familiar with her own planet’s tech. In fact, Kal had called her his personal Kryptonian IT person when he’d run into issues with the tech in the Fortress. She’d fly over, type some code, run some algorithms and he’d just stand there gawking having no clue what just happened. It was so weird sometimes having a cousin that was more Earthling than Kryptonian. Weird and sad. They could share some things, but like it or not, she felt very alone sometimes. Just as sadness was about to grip her again, Alex popped up on the vid screen. 

“Kara? Are you okay?” She seemed stressed and Kara could make out Lena’s image behind her, peering over her shoulder as best she could from the stationary monitor. 

“Fine,” the Danvers sister replied, still typing. “Tell Lena she should be able to connect here,” she continued, fingers still flying at super speed. Not a moment later a full-bodied hologram of the youngest Luthor popped up in front of Kara. 

“Whoa.” Kara stopped and stared. “Um, hi.” 

“Are we in the Fortress?” Lena seemed confused as she looked around at her surrounding for the first time in weeks. She stared at her own hands, then looked to Kara. “Am I a hologram?” 

“Yes and yes. Lex ruined my plans. Destroyed the cryo-pod. I had to bring your body here.” Kara wanted to reach out but knew, much like her Mother’s hologram, there was nothing to touch. 

“Are you hurt? Where’s Kate?” Alex hated not being there to check her impulsive sister over. 

“I’m fine. Kate is cleaning up and checking to see if Lex survived.” The hero realized that was rather blunt and looked from Alex to Lena. 

“I’m sure he did. Him and the cockroaches always do.” Lena sighed. 

“I put your body in the Genesis Chamber,” Kara explained. 

“Is that safe?” Alex seemed concerned. 

“What’s a Genesis Chamber?” Lena had no idea what her alien friend was speaking of. 

“It’s a chamber full of fluid that can keep your body alive,” she explained further. “We used them back on Krypton.” 

“How did one get here?” Lena was very interested in Kryptonian technology. 

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you someday.” She smiled but Lena could see the sadness behind her eyes. There’s was always a hint of sadness when she spoke of Krypton. 

“How are you guys coming?” Kara was standing, arms folded across her chest. 

“We’re not,” both Alex and Lena answered in unison. 

“Okay, well, what’s the next step?” Kara looked between the hologram and her sister on the large projected screen. 

“I’m going to call Kelly,” Alex started. “See if anything she learned over at Obsidian might help here.” 

“You might get in touch with Andrea,” Lena added. “She might know more than how to just do product launches, although, I’m not holding my breath.” The glowing projection crossed her arms and set her jaw. “She still wasn’t happy that Andrea had been working with Leviathan.” 

“Okay, then I’ll get Brainy and Nia over here and see what we can come up with.” The caped woman paced back and forth now. 

“You know, there’s a chance Kara, that I’m stuck this way.” Kara looked up to see the guilt in Lena’s eyes. 

“No, Lena, no.” The last daughter of Krypton refused to believe that. “We are going to figure this out. Look, I promised I’d always protect you and I meant that. If there was a way in, there’s a way out.” 

Lena didn’t feel better. In fact, after everything her and Alex had run through, she was beginning to think there really was no way to reverse what she had done. She told herself she didn’t care. If she beat Lex and stopped Leviathan it was worth it, but as she looked at Kara, she realized that maybe, just maybe she’d take it all back just to be with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kryptonian spoken in this chapter is the word for LOVE. 
> 
> How we doing? Staying safe. I hope so. Happy Pride. Black Lives Matter. Hope, help and compassion for all. 
> 
> I've got the chapter after this written, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.
> 
> Remember, comments help me live. Kudos are a dose of serotonin.


	9. Entangled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Superfriends come to Lena's aid. Nia and Brainy start speaking again. Dansen.

IDKH 9: Entangled 

Querl Dox and Nia Nal had arrived at the tower before Kara to discuss the black box and Lena situation. Brainiac 5 and Dreamer hadn’t quite fixed the tension between them yet, so things were still a bit awkward. The green Legionnaire walked over to the box and picked it up. 

“Careful with that Brainy.” Alex looked at him nervously. “Kara will literally kill me if anything happens to that.” 

So, Lena is in here?” He questioned, as he traced the pattern that continued to glow with his eyes. “Why does it have the symbol for Quantum Entanglement glowing on it?” 

“Is that what that means?” Supergirl’s mentee walked over to look. 

Alex decided to give them some space and headed back out to J’onn’s office and fix herself a drink. 

Querl Dox felt his heart tick up a notch. She was talking to him. Not yelling, just talking. He cleared his throat a bit. “Why, yes.” He raised his blond eyebrows and was going to continue. 

“Kara will want to know that.” Dreamer took the box from his hands. “I saw it in the dream, but I didn’t know what it meant. Neither did she.” 

“Do you know the theory behind Quantum Entanglement?” Brainy asked, not realizing it could have a romantic connotation. Nia set the box back from where she saw Brainiac 5 take it and stepped back, glancing around the Tower, trying to act not interested. She was still slightly angry that Brainy had not included the Superfriends in on what he was doing with Lex and she wasn’t quite ready to forgive him. His lack of trust had nearly cost him his life. She thought his strange behavior was all because of the inhibitors being turned off, but it wasn’t. Some of it, but certainly not all. Most of it was because Lex Luthor had manipulated him, the same as he had Lena. The two smartest people on the team, led astray, thinking they were doing good. She shook her head. It just goes to show, that even intelligent people can be tricked and used if the abuser knows what buttons to push. He did seem to be much more himself nowadays though. 

“No, not really,” Nia continued, just meandering around. “Doesn’t it have to do with dark matter and wormholes and things?” She just threw the little she had heard about Quantum Physics out there. 

“Quantum Entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, including when the particles are separated by a large distance,” the twelfth level intellect explained. 

“Okay,” Nia replied, going over in her head what the Coluan had just rattled off. 

“It occurs no matter how great the distance between the particles is.” He watched Nia as she wandered around the Tower aimlessly. “Strange that Lena would choose this as a symbol.” 

“Is it?” Nia challenged. “So, the basic idea of quantum entanglement is that two particles can be intimately linked to each other even if separated by billions of light-years of space; a change induced in one will affect the other.” 

“Yes,” Querl acknowledged. He was rather surprised at how quickly Nia Nal had been able to understand such a complex idea. 

“So, people are made up of particles, right?” Nia queried. 

“Yes. Seven billion billion billion, to be exact.” The Coluan was interested in where his former girlfriend was going with all this. 

“All those particles are intricately linked, right?” The hero known as Dreamer continued. 

“Yes, but not Quantum Entangled,” Brainy spoke up. Nia sighed in exasperation. “However, when my family merged with organic cybernetics, our brains were amalgamated with Quantum Computing, giving us control over our twelfth level intellect. There are theories about entanglement and consciousness.” He looked at Nia in surprise. “Do you think Lena discovered a way to use Quantum Entanglement to upload her consciousness?” 

“Well, maybe, but I was going more for a soulmates type thing.” The brunette scowled. 

“Soulmates?” Brainy seemed puzzled. 

“Yeah. Lena downloaded herself into a box, gave Kara a USB drive that then activated it, and now we are all working to get Lena back, for Kara. I mean, for Lena, too, obvs., but c’mon.” Dreamer rolled her eyes. 

“C’mon, what?” Again Brainiac 5 seemed utterly lost. 

“Those two are stupid for each other.” Nia laughed. “I don’t need my dreams to tell me that.” 

“What does ‘being stupid’ for each other have to do with Quantum Entanglement?” The being from the 31st century was more than confounded by this discussion. 

“Two souls, like particles, connected together. What happens to one, no matter the distance, effects the other. No matter how far away they are. They can’t act independently of each other because they are linked together as one. They share one soul,” Nia said in exasperation. 

“I don’t get it.” The Coluan found this interpretation completely out of the context of science. 

“I’m sure you don’t,” Nia said, as she decided she’d had enough and went to join Alex to wait for Kara. “You’re a real romantic, aren’t you?” 

Brainy watched her leave and stood there still trying to process what had just happened. Connecting Quantum Entanglement to love seemed like a ridiculous jump into mysticism, but the more he thought about it, perhaps Nia had a point. The brain releases estrogen, testosterone, serotonin, dopamine, and many other chemicals when we fall in love. Long term attachment causes both oxytocin and vasopressin to be released. These are measurable and can be studied in a lab, but why and what exactly causes these reactions? Why we choose the person we choose is still a mystery, even in the 31st century. Could it be that two individuals, full of billions and billions and billions of particles could have multiple, possibly billions or more of those particles Quantum Entangled? 

As Querl Dox stood in the Tower, his mind processing this wonderous new possibility, he suddenly became aware of Dreamer’s words and again felt perplexed. “Wait,” he called aloud. “Lena and Kara are in love? When did this happen?” Alex had momentarily walked back in to grab something to discuss with Nia, and chuckled. 

“Since the day they met.” She grabbed what she needed and headed back out. “Welcome to the party.” 

Supergirl landed on the balcony at the Tower and Lena Luthor simultaneously appeared on the large screen in front of Querl Dox. 

“Ms. Luthor,” he spoke, addressing her as professionally as possible. “I have questions.” 

“We need answers, Brainy, not more questions.” Supergirl growled as she walked past him, setting a device down on the floor to the side of the monitor. “Okay, Lena, it’s ready to go.” Brainiac 5 stood with his mouth open ready to make a comment back to the Girl of Steel, when to his surprise, the young Luthor’s image disappeared from the screen and a full bodied hologram of her appeared from the device Kara had placed on the floor. “Where’s Alex and Nia?” The blond questioned her green skinned friend. 

“They’re in J’onn’s office.” He pointed as he studied the hologram. 

“Can I help you?” Lena raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly uncomfortable with Brainy’s gawking. 

“Yes. I have questions,” the twelfth level intellect repeated. 

“As you mentioned.” Lena hoped that Kara would be back quickly. She wasn’t so sure about being a captive audience to the Coluan. Although, he was probably the person they needed the most if they were going to figure this out. They had bonded a little before Lex had messed up everything. They did seem to share a certain social awkwardness and love of science. “Ask away.” 

“Quantum Entanglement,” was all he said. Lena full on blushed. 

Back in J’onn’s office Kara was just about to ask Alex about Kelly, when the door opened and in, she walked. 

“Babe!” Alex moved across the room quickly and pulled her into a loving hug. Nia and Kara glanced at each other and smiled. 

“They’re so cute,” Nia whispered. 

“Shhh, don’t tell Alex that,” Kara whispered back. “She thinks she’s a badass.” 

“Oh, she’s a badass,” Nia confirmed. “Just a really cute one.” 

“I can hear you guys.” Alex let go of Kelly and squinted her eyes at them both. Kelly rubbed Alex’s back with one hand and just beamed at the trio. 

“Sorry I couldn’t talk when you came by earlier.” Kelly was still holding Alex’s hand in her other hand. “Useless meetings with the board and Andrea.” She frowned. “They’re trying to save Obsidian, but I don’t think it’s possible. The damage has been done, despite Andrea successfully spinning it to be all Lex Luthor’s fault.” 

Kara scoffed. Just the name made her blood boil. He was the reason Lena was trapped inside the internet, or web, or wherever it was that she existed right now. 

“It’s fine, babe.” Alex grinned lovingly at her girlfriend. 

“So, what did you guys need?” The raven-haired therapist asked, looking to each person in the room. 

“Well, let’s head in here, so we can explain a bit better.” Alex lead the whole team back into the Tower room. 

“Oh, wow.” Kelly spun as she looked at the room. “Is this the secret lair?” She looked like a kid in a candy store. Brainy was still standing and talking to Lena but stopped to see what was transpiring. 

“Yes. Welcome to the Tower.” Alex was obviously trying to impress her girlfriend as she waved a hand around. 

“Oh my god, Lena?” Kelly noticed the woman standing next to Brainy. As she walked closer, she realized that the woman wasn’t exactly what she appeared to be. 

“Hello, Kelly,” the 3-dimensional form of the youngest Luthor replied. “What do you know about algorithms, coding, VR and quantum physics?” Lena looked at her with helplessness and hope in her eyes. Kelly’s mouth was agape as she looked from Lena to Alex. How was this possible? Lena was supposed to be dead. 

“So, yeah, babe.” Alex ran her fingers through her short hair, glancing down and then back to her. “We’re going to need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments kids. I do appreciate it. This chapter didn't have much Supercorp, but don't worry. There's more coming.


	10. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team comes together to fix things, but Brainiac 5 might know things that could change the course of history. Lena and Kara admit some things to each other.

IDKH 10: Waiting 

Kara, Nia, Brainy, Kelly and Alex all worked with Lena, walking through what she had done and how to undo it, and it looked like there just might not be a way to undo it. It might be that perhaps, Lena Luthor was honestly and truthfully stuck as a “new form of life” as Brainy had put it. There were only two other people on this planet that might be able to help them figure this out and the youngest Luthor didn’t even dare to consider it. It was too high risk and they’d want something in return. Something big. They might be her stepmother and brother, but that never stopped them from trying to make a buck or take over the world at anyone’s expense. This type of technology in their hands would be world changing and not in a positive way. 

Everyone had dispersed to their respective corners, taking a break from the mentally exhausting challenge of solving this seemingly impossible problem. 

“I don’t know, Alex.” Kelly shook her head as she looked at her girlfriend. “I think this is way over my head. I mean, I understand what she’s done, but my limited experience with VR isn’t much help. I learned a lot about algorithms and sub-routines and tons of other stuff with Obsidian, but this is a lot. I’m a therapist more than a tech savvy scientist.” 

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short.” Alex put her arm around her partner and gave a squeeze. “We all have unique talents and perspectives and trust me; we need them all.” Kelly smiled at her reassurance. It was nice having someone that supported her so much again. She couldn’t believe she’d ended up here. Smack dab in the middle of a superhero team. There was one thing for certain, the team needed a therapist. She’d never seen so much trauma in one place. 

Over on the other side of the room, Brainiac 5 was leaning next to the Tower console and eyeing Nia Nal closely. 

“Go talk to her,” a familiar voice whispered. 

“Who?” The green skinned Coluan turned to look at the hologram next to him, acting as though he had no clue to whom the young Luthor was referencing. 

“You know who.” Lena raised an eyebrow and gave Brainiac 5 a knowing look. “Go talk to her.” 

“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted. “I messed up and I’m not sure how to fix it.” He looked longingly back at his ex-girlfriend. 

Lena glanced over at Kara. “Trust me, I was wrong before.” She pushed the palms of her holographic hands together as she looked back. “Little boxes are bad. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late.” Brainy looked to Kara and then back to Lena. 

“Then shouldn’t you do the same?” The hero from the Legion stated matter-of-factly. This caught the ex-CEO completely by surprise. “You feel the same about Kara Zor-El, do you not?” Lena’s panic was written all over her face. She wasn’t sure why it mattered that he knew. Maybe she just wasn’t ready for the way she felt to be so public. 

“Yes, but we don’t know if we can fix this.” She pointed to herself with both hands. She looked back to Kara and this time Kara was looking at her. She felt that feeling she always felt when their eyes locked across the room. It was like the whole universe just birthed a million new stars inside her chest. She blinked slowly and turned away, trying to regain control. In that moment, it occurred to her that Brianiac 5 was from the future. “Wait. You know,” she said, in a slightly accusing tone. 

“What?” The cybernetic being from the 31st century stuttered slightly and started to back away. 

“You know, don’t you?” Lena said, almost demanding an answer. “If I am stuck in here forever?” 

“I am not allowed to divulge any knowledge of the future.” The Legionnaire continued to back away. “I’m sorry.” He looked down. “I will go talk to her.” He looked back up and there was without question a sadness in his eyes and his tone. “You have made a very valid point.” 

“Brainy, please,” Lena pleaded. “Just point me in the right direction.” Her heart was racing. He knew and he wasn’t going to tell her. He wasn't going to tell them. He could probably solve this right now, but he refused. If she does get back to her body and they fix all of this, what could be the harm in telling her? What damage could it do to the future? She watched him turn and walk toward Dreamer. Unless... “Oh,” she whispered. “I’m not going to make it out, am I?” 

“Everything okay?” Kara’s soft voice nearly broke her. No, everything was not okay. Everything was terrible. Everything was hopeless and broken and she was never going to be able to feel Kara’s strong arms around her again. All she wanted in the world right now was a hug. A Kara Danvers hug. She wanted to leave but she was nothing more than projected light, stuck in place. Everyone else had noticed the tension and had decided to head back into J’onn’s office. 

“I’m going to order us some food,” Alex called out, as she was the last person to disappear from the Tower room. “Pizza and potstickers?” 

“Sure,” Kara called back, not really listening. Even though the eyes she was looking into weren’t real, she could still see the tears welling in them. Lena began to sob, and Kara had never felt so powerless in her life. “Hey, hey. It’s going to be okay.” She moved to touch Lena’s arms and realized she couldn’t, so she just held hers out as if she were. “We’re going to fix this.” 

Lena choked back her tears and fought to regain control. “No. No it is not. No, we’re not.” The green-eyed woman’s face became hard. “Brainy knows.” 

“Brainy knows what?” The blonde hero looked toward the other room. “What did he say?” Kara felt panic rising inside her chest. Brainy could know. In fact, if what the Legion had told her was true, every Legionnaire knew Kara’s story. Every aspect of it. Including this moment. 

“It’s what he didn’t say.” The holographic Luthor let one last tear slip from her eyes. Lena had done this. She did all of this. There was no one to blame but herself. She let Lex manipulate her again. She pushed Kara away and she decided to fight Lex and Leviathan all on her own because she was afraid and confused and mad. She wanted to prove she was good despite what everyone thought of her and in doing so, trapped herself in this void. She felt as if she was gasping for air and wondered if this was how Kara felt while she trapped in the Phantom Zone. There was nothing but blackness on the other side of the monitors and projectors. Empty, cold and soundless. 

“The future isn’t set, Lena.” Kara reached out again and felt frustrated, sighing loudly and turning to pace. 

“I’ve already wasted enough of your time,” the smaller woman stated, feeling utter hopelessness. “You have more important things you need to attend to.” 

“No.” The Kryptonian turned quickly. “You’re not doing this again.” She almost shouted at the projection. 

“What?” The Luthor spat back rather defensively. 

“Pushing me away.” Kara walked right up to the hologram. “I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere. Not now.” She crossed her arms defiantly. 

“What’s different now?” Lena shot back with a hint of sarcasm. 

“Now I know,” Kara Zor-El said, with a softness in her eyes and a tremble in her voice that made Lena slightly uncomfortable and feel as if she might lose control again. 

“Know what?” she demanded, in a harsher than intended tone while trying to keep her voice from giving her away. 

“That you have been manipulated and abused your whole life. That the people that were supposed to protect you and love you abandoned you and used you and gaslit you. I knew you were raised by the Luthors, but I didn’t really understand what that meant.” Lena slightly flinched. Again, the hero would’ve done anything in the universe to be able to touch the woman shimmering in front of her. “I know that all you want in the world is to leave this planet better than you found it.” Kara had tears in her eyes now. “And that all those people have done is tear you down, belittle and harm you.” 

Lena felt exposed and fragile and she hated it. She hated that she had been a fool. She hated she had ever doubted Kara. She hated that her mother had left her and that her adopted brother was a psychopath and her stepmother was a full-blown narcissist. And that she was too broken to stop being pulled in over and over again by the same kind of people, because she just wanted someone to understand her. To love her. Unconditionally. To tell her, “Good job, Lena. I’m so proud of you.” She was crumbling under the weight of it all. She slowly sunk to her knees and continued to sob. 

“We have both made mistakes, but Lena Keiran Luthor, I am not losing you again.” Lena looked up through tear-filled eyes. The young hero was desperate to touch the woman falling apart in front of her, but it was impossible. “I lo..., er, um...care about you.” Kara almost slipped. She almost just blurted it right out. The things she’s been feeling. It was far too fast and too soon and certainly not the right time. Her heart was beating at an impossible pace even for an alien. Both women had tears spilling from their eyes as they looked at each other. “I will never let anyone hurt you, ever again.” The Kryptonian’s face was more serious than Lena had ever seen it. “We are going to solve this.” Lena tucked her head down. Kara kneeled lower to make eye contact. “I care about how you feel, what happens to you. I am not losing you.” She spoke softly as she kept eye contact. She reached out as if she was lifting Lena’s chin with her index finger. “Look at me,” she asked gently. 

“But what if there is no way out, Kara?” the youngest Luthor’s voice quivered. 

“There is.” Kara stood shaking her head. 

“But what if there’s not?” The hologram stood. “Seriously. What if this is me now?” The projection of Lena moved her hands downward looking at herself. 

“I’m still not leaving.” Kara shook her head slightly. “I don’t care if it takes a hundred years.” 

Lena chuckled slightly. She felt something that she wasn’t sure she had ever felt. Something deep inside of her that she had longed for. She wasn’t even sure what it was, but it felt right. It felt good. Knowing that someone understood. Knowing that someone cared for her despite the trauma and mistakes. Knowing that she could be so deeply cared about even if she wasn’t perfect. She still wasn’t sure if Kara felt the same way she did, but right now it didn’t matter. She was on her side. She was here and the dark-haired woman had no doubt that this woman she had fallen for would wait for her longer than any logical person would. She looked at Kara and nodded. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to push you away. Old habits die hard.” 

“It’s okay,” Kara whispered back. “I messed up too. I was too scared to stop you from pushing.” She looked ashamed. “I didn’t know how to reach you,” the taller woman admitted. “You were so angry, and I was so confused.” 

“I didn’t know how...,” they both started in unison. Both women laughed, wiping their own tears and sniffling. 

“Look, we both have a whole lot of trauma we need to deal with,” the last daughter of Krypton declared. Lena nodded in agreement. “And I didn’t know how to do put my feelings into words before, but I’d like to try to do it now.” 

“Right now?” Lena was slightly confused. She could feel her pulse quicken. Kara’s eyes were as wide as saucers as the hero made a spur of the moment decision to go for it. 

“Oh, ha! Um, er...well, I mean, we both seem to care about each other in that, um...way, so I thought...” The tops of Kara’s ears and cheeks were bright red and she was nervously wringing her hands. Lena’s throat went dry. She really wished she could have a drink right now. 

“Thought what?” the dark-haired woman swallowed hard with expectation. 

“That maybe you’d want to go on a date or something?” Kara breathed in deeply and held her breath as she buried one hand in her hair while placing the other on her hip and tilting her head, trying to look adorable. 

“Kara Danvers Zor-El, I am a hologram.” Lena Luthor held her hands out to her sides. Kara loved the way her whole name spilled out of Lena’s mouth, but she didn’t let that distract her. 

“I don’t care.” Kara shrugged her shoulders and smiled the biggest, goofiest grin the billionaire had ever seen. 

“Are you serious?” The projection of Lena crossed her holographic arms over her holographic chest and raised an eyebrow. Kara’s expression instantly changed, and she began to doubt herself. 

“Well, I mean, if you don’t want...” The hero crinkled her brow, bit her lip, and looked at the floor. 

“I didn’t say that,” Lena spoke softly. “But how would that even work?” She sighed loudly. “We can’t even hold hands.” 

“That’s okay.” Kara lit up. “I have ideas!” Lena had been wrong. This was the biggest smile she’d ever seen on the alien’s face. She shook her head and laughed to herself. If anyone had ever bet her that this sweet adorable goof would be the person she fell for, she’d have lost her company. “Lots of people meet online and build relationships for months before they meet,” Kara explained. “They learn about each other's likes and dislikes and all sorts of things.” Her enthusiasm was admirable. 

“But it could be years. Decades. Centuries.” Lena didn’t think the sweet woman in front of her was being very realistic. “You’d know everything about me and get bored.” 

“No! I would never get bored. It’ll be okay. It won’t be that long, but even if it turned out that way, it’d be okay. I could teach you about Krypton and you could teach me about that Quantum stuff and...” And Lena believed her. She wasn’t sure why, but she inexplicably, undeniably, believed that Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl wanted to date her, despite everything. Despite her trauma, despite Lex, despite Lillian, and yes, despite the glaring fact that she didn’t even have a body. Well she did have a body; she just wasn’t in it at the moment. And that she would wait, for a hundred years, if she had to. 

“Yes,” she blurted out rather unexpectedly, as the Girl of Steel continued to rattle off ways an online relationship could mirror theirs. 

“What?” The blonde stopped and looked at the glimmering image in front of her. 

“I said, yes.” Lena smiled at her, amused. “I will go on a date with you. However, that works.” 

“You will?” Kara put her arms around the hologram only to realize she couldn’t. “Aww.” She looked at her empty arms. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” she reassured herself. “So, ummm, yeah, I’ll pick a place or a time or, hmmm?” Kara realized this romantic outing couldn’t be a typical date. It had to be something different. She was going to have to get creative. 

“I’ll be waiting.” Lena gestured to the holographic projector and black box. “Just let me know.” They locked eyes and laughed lightly at the situation. They stood there staring at each other and smiling for the longest time until they were both jarred from their longing gazes by Alex Danvers. 

“Pizza and potstickers are here!” she shouted. Kara looked toward the food and then back to Lena, crinkling her brow as if she was stuck between two choices. 

“Go eat.” Lena laughed softly. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

“So, it’s a date?” The alien wanted to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. 

“It’s a date,” Lena confirmed and as she felt the words leave her lips. And for the first time in forever, didn’t feel alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're still with me. If you're wondering where J'onn is, he's on holiday, with M'Gann. I can't remember if I remembered to tell you guys that. Maybe I should work that in somewhere if I didn't, lol. The next chapter picks up right off of this with Kara and the Fam. I'm not sure how much more story I've got. You guys want me to wrap it up or keep going a while longer? I have all sorts of ideas, but I mean, I don't want anyone getting bored. Let me know in the comments. Thanks!


	11. Kidnapped!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group learns about Kara's feelings for Lena and Brainy and Nia run into trouble.

IDKH 11: Kidnapped! 

Lex Luthor dusted off his suit and marched down the hall of the Luthor Mansion. He checked his portal watch and smiled. The Super brat had failed to kill him again. He had teleported safely and now he was on a mission. Supergirl didn’t seem to understand that Lena was his, so he’d just have to take something of hers. Something of equal value. Not of the heart, but of the head. Hearts were worthless. Knowledge, however, was priceless. 

“Mother,” the bald Luthor spoke aloud, as he entered the sitting room to find Lillian enjoying a book and a cup of tea. 

“The prodigal son returns.” She showed no emotion towards her son and didn’t look up from her book. 

“How would you like to torture someone?” he offered. Lillian raised her eyebrow and sat her book down. 

“What did you have in mind, Darling?” The eldest Luthor smiled sinisterly. 

Back at J’onn’s the group was finishing up the last of the food and laughing. Brainy and Nia were talking again and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. Alex noticed that her sister seemed a little lighter than before. She watched her as she shoved the last piece of pizza in her mouth. She’d eaten three pies all by herself. All that remained was a brownie dessert pizza and everyone was just slowly picking at it. 

“Psst...hey.” The older Danvers was attempting to get Kara’s attention without alerting the whole group. Of course, Kelly was sitting right next to her and covered a smile with her hand as Kara looked above her head and around until she realized it was her sister. 

“Are you pssstttt-ing me?” the caped hero said loudly, still chewing her food. Alex put her hand to her face and sighed as everyone turned their attention to her. 

“Well, yes, I was going to ask you something.” Alex widened her eyes and lifted her brow, tilting her head slightly. Her alien sister crinkled her brow in confusion. 

“Okay, well ask.” The Kryptonian was unsure why Alex was trying to be sneaky. 

“About Lena,” the ex-DEO director stated flatly. Kara gulped down the last bit of pizza and looked around the room as all eyes were on her. 

“Yes, about Lena,” Brainy started. “When did you two hook up?” The youngest Danvers turned bright red. 

“Brainy!” Nia screeched at him as she hit him with one of the decorative pillows. “They didn’t hook up!” The woman who was Dreamer looked at her ex in horror. 

“What? Oh, I thought they were in love.” Brainiac 5 was very confused as he looked at each person in the room for some sort of confirmation. “Quantumly Entangled. Soulmates, didn’t you say?” He returned his gaze to Nia after seeing nothing helpful from the rest of his friends. Kara Zor-El continued to just sit there, frozen and a glowing shade of red. 

“That’s not what ‘hook up’ means.” Supergirl’s mentee leaned over and whispered the meaning into the Coluan’s ear. She was pretty sure he turned a darker shade of green, but it was hard to tell. Brainy had stopped using his image inducer after the fight with Lex and Leviathan and Nia had decided she was much more attracted to his green shade than his fake human one. 

“Oh. Well, that’s certainly not possible with Lena’s situation now, is it?” He stated out loud and matter-of-factly, which earned him another swat with the fancy pillow. “What?!” He called out in shock. Was there no end to this confusion, he wondered? 

“Sorry, Kara.” Nia apologized for him and the situation, but she was also just as curious as Alex. She’d seen the little skip in Supergirl’s step when she’d come in to eat. 

“Does everybody know?” The Maid of Might held out her hands and shrugged as she looked at each of her friends. Kelly leaned forward and took one of her hands. “It’s okay Kara, you don’t have to share if you’re not ready.” The dark-haired therapist had a soothing tone, and the younger Danvers was happy to have her on her side at least. 

“But yeah, everybody knows,” said Alex. “I mean, you two were making googly eyes at each other constantly.” The older Danvers sister took a big swig of her beer but nearly spat it out as she felt her girlfriend’s elbow slightly poke at her ribs. She looked over to find Kelly giving her a scowl. “What?” She questioned as she rubbed her ribs. Nia and Kelly looked at each other and shook their heads. 

“I, uh-hrmmm" The girl of Steel cleared her throat. “I recently realized that I like Lena. Like, like like.” Kara announced. 

“Oh, my gods,” Nia bounced on the couch she was sharing with her ex-boyfriend. “This is so exciting!” 

Kara smiled and let out a nervous laugh. “I asked her out on a date.” She looked to her sister hoping for encouragement. 

“And?” Alex waved her beer. 

“And what?” The Kryptonian wasn’t sure what her sister was asking. “And I’m queer now? I mean, I think I am? I’m not labeling it yet.” 

“What did she say?” Alex was trying not to burst out laughing as she shook her head. 

“Oh, ha!” The superhero had never been more embarrassed in her life. Not even that time she got a zit and it exploded everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. Alien zits are the worst. Stupid solar flares. Well, ummm...” Kara was absolutely beaming. “Yes. She said yes.” 

“Oh, sweetheart, that’s amazing.” Kelly leaned into Alex and beamed with pride for Kara. 

“You’re just glad all the phone calls are going to stop.” Alex nudged Kelly playfully. 

“What phone calls?” The younger Danvers sister seemed perplexed. 

“Every single time you would start rambling about Lena I would call Kelly because I wanted to say something, but Kelly said you needed to come to terms with it your own way,” Alex admitted. “Like that time you went and got all her favorite foods and you were so nervous about everything being perfect. I mean, oh my god, so gay.” 

“Seriously?” The hero seemed a little hurt. 

“Then you guys started fighting and I was like, oh my god, these two just need to get in a room and talk this out. So much drama.” Alex was eating part of the brownie dessert pizza and not really paying attention to her sister’s pouty face. 

“It sounds much worse than it is,” Kelly scowled at Alex. “She really was trying to look out for you and so was I.” Alex had looked up and noticed both her sister’s tearful eyes and her girlfriend’s chagrin. “You were so close before...” Kelly stopped. 

“Before Lena died,” Kara finished. “What if she had?” Her sister and her girlfriend looked at the young hero sympathetically. 

“Make sure you aren’t rushing this relationship because of that,” Kelly said as gently as she could. “You’ve both been through a lot over the last year and you don’t want to move into something too serious before you’ve both healed and have discussed all the emotions tied to that.” Kara felt her heart sink a little at Kelly’s words. “There’s nothing wrong with healing together,” Kelly added with a smile and looked lovingly at Alex while squeezing her hand. Alex smiled back. 

“Well, I for one, was oblivious.” The green skinned Coluan jumped into the conversation rather bombastically. Nia rolled her eyes. Kara turned to the Legionnaire from the 31st century and all her frustration was directed at him. 

“And how is that possible?” The Girl of Steel frowned. “Aren’t you a 12th level intellect?” She stood up. “Aren’t you the one that claimed to know every detail of my history?” The blonde started walking toward him. “Imra said I was the ‘inspiration for the Legion’.” She ranted on. “The things I do and accomplish are a blueprint, yet for some reason, you refuse to help Lena.” Brainy cowered behind Nia. 

“It’s not my fault,” he cringed. “Well, it is, but for good reason.” 

“Explain,” Kara demanded, as she crossed her arms and straightened her posture. Everyone in the room got a little tense. 

“Kara, hey, c’mon.” Alex walked over and tugged at her arm, walked her back and sat her down between herself and Kelly. Kara glared at Brainy the whole way. 

“There is a sub-routine built into my brain,” the cybernetically enhanced Coluan began to explain. “It was put there to keep me from remembering any relevant information that might impact the future in any way,” he continued. “So, you see, if it would impact the future, either negatively or positively, then I cannot access it, so I cannot know if Lena will escape her digital prison and if she does escape, how she does it.” 

“Do you have any memories of Lena or recall her being mentioned in the future?” Kara looked at him hoping for something. 

“Oddly enough, no.” He tilted his head slightly, finding that revelation quite interesting. “Which means she’s either extremely important or completely forgotten.” 

“Well, she can’t be forgotten,” Alex interjected. Kara turned to look at her sister. “Remember when Mon-El came back he mentioned he was able to do so because Lena had built a device to clear the lead from the atmosphere and that she was something of a hero in her own right.” 

“L-Corp. He said L-Corp did. Not Lena specifically,” Kara countered. 

“Well, L-Corp doesn’t exist here,” Nia cautiously added. “It’s Luthor Corp.” 

“That’s got to mean that Lena eventually takes it back, right?” Alex tried to put a positive spin on things. 

“Perhaps,” Brainiac 5 held his chin between his index finger and thumb in thought. “But she wouldn’t need to be human to do so.” 

“Brainy!” Everyone but Kara yelled and looked at him in disbelief. Kara had slumped way down in the seat between Alex and Kelly. They both leaned into her, resting their heads on her head. 

“Look, don’t give up, yet, okay?” Alex rubbed her sister’s upper arm gently. “Lena’s smart. The team is smart. We’re going to figure this out.” 

“Just breathe. Don’t panic and try to focus on the positives, rather than the negatives,” Kelly added. “A few days ago, you thought you had lost her forever. Now, at least she’s right in there. You can go talk to her.” Kelly looked toward the Tower room where the holographic projector and the black box holding Lena were linked up. “Plus, you have a date to plan for.” Kara’s heart ticked up and she smiled ever so slightly. 

Nia and Brainy decided to head out and it didn’t go unnoticed that they were leaving together. The blonde hoped that they could patch things up. She really thought those two were perfect for each other. Kelly and Alex made sure Kara was okay and they headed out not long after. 

Kara Zor-El sat in the dark of her alien Dad’s office and looked around. It was unfamiliar yet still felt safe in the darkness. Objects cast interesting shadows about the room. This darkness was much different than the darkness of space. The darkness of the Phantom Zone. Yet there was something familiar in the way she felt. Just a room away was someone she cared about more than she had dared let herself since Krypton. Well, since Alex. Her sister was different though. That love had been earned. They hadn’t always liked each other and there were still bits of resentment that showed up from time to time. Either would give her life for the other now, of course. For a short time, she almost felt that way about Mon-El, but with time and distance, she realized it was more the familiar feeling. He was a Daxamite. A tie to home, but it wasn’t love. She loved him, just not the way she thought she did. She loved all her friends. It hadn’t been like that with Lena. Kara had loved Lena differently from the moment she met her. Unconditionally. Like she’d known her all her life. She trusted her. Believed in her. Like she’d found another Kryptonian and they had been deemed compatible by Rao himself. She hadn’t realized that was what it was at first. She simply wanted to see her and be near her as much as possible. She’d never felt more at peace with someone. So comfortable and relaxed. She couldn’t believe she’d held her identity from her as long as she did. There was a lot of guilt she was holding onto because of that. The more Lena had pulled away, the more Kara felt desperate to hold onto her. It scared her. Terrified her. She used her x-ray vision to peer into the Tower and noticed Lena was still using the holo-projector. She had projected herself as well as a white board and seemed to be working as she wrote numbers and letters quickly down on the board. She started to jump up and run down there, but hesitated. Maybe Lena wanted to be alone. Then Kelly’s voice echoed in her head. 

“Many people overwork or brush people off because they are victims of rejection. They fear opening up and being laughed at or hurt, so they distance themselves, all the while feeling lonely, depressed and attacking their own self-worth. It’s been proven that rejection is tied to tangible physical pain in people, as well as a drop in IQ.” 

Kara had asked Kelly if she thought Lena was avoiding her after her identity reveal, all the while Alex had tried to convince her that maybe she didn’t really know who this Lena was after Crisis. She had felt terrible after calling her a villain, but she had thought maybe the “tough love” route was the way to go in order to get her away from Lex. Kelly wasn’t overjoyed with Kara’s choice. She explained, “Tough love can definitely have a place, but it's probably not a good first move. Tough love feels really good to deliver, but if it's too harsh, or the tone is off, it won't work, and often becomes confrontational. Sometimes, it can even feel like a rejection or alienation.” 

The hero sighed. She had been so overjoyed that Lena was still alive that she had decided to just ignore all the pain and hurt from before. Water under the bridge. Now she realized that wasn’t realistic. She hoped she hadn’t jumped the gun by asking Lena out so quickly. What if she messes this up? 

“Just be honest and authentic.” Kara heard Kelly’s voice again in her head. She stood up, shoulders back, chest out, chin up and headed down to the Tower room. “Honest and authentic,” she whispered to herself. 

Lena’s brain might be in her body at the Fortress, but her mind was racing here and now in the Tower. If there was a way in, there absolutely had to be a way out and now, more than ever, she felt like she had a goal. Something to obtain. She had a date with Kara Danvers. She smiled to herself. A date with Supergirl. She laughed to herself as she shook her head. Now wasn’t the time. “Focus, Lena,” she whispered to herself. “Focus.” She looked up to see Kara strutting in, head up, shoulders back. “Oh well, so much for focusing,” She laughed to herself. 

Brainy had walked Nia home. He felt like they were finally making a little progress at understanding everything that had transpired and why. He had seen how Lex had manipulated him, as well as everyone else, and understood how “little boxes” and “going it alone”, as Nia had put it, weren’t exactly good choices. Being a 12th level intellect didn’t seem to be much help when you find yourself in a time and place that is very unfamiliar. He did know one thing. He cared deeply for Nia Nal. He very much wanted to correct his mistakes. 

Just as the two were about to part for the night, an unmarked black van skidded up to a spot in front of Nia’s apartment. Several men jumped out all at once. Brainy and Nia took a defensive stance, but one of the men pointed a weapon at them, pulling the trigger. A glowing circle of blue light sped toward them, knocking both to the ground and unconscious. The men quickly loaded Brainiac 5 into the van and peeled away. Nia’s roommate, startled by the sound came rushing out to check the commotion. 

“Nia!” Yvette screamed as she found her friend passed out on the steps. She shook her, checked her breathing, and pulled out her phone to call for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Let me know if you're still with me.


	12. In Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara talk, Lillian & Lex have Brainy, can our heroes save him before it's too late?

Chapter 12: In Your Head 

“This all looks complicated.” Kara wrinkled her nose as she looked at what Lena had scribbled on the holographic white board in front of her. 

“Aren’t you from an advanced alien race?” Lena quirked an eyebrow. 

“Well, yes, technically, but this is...” Kara wasn’t sure how to explain. “It’s like people today trying to read cuneiform or hieroglyphs.” 

“So, both complex and simple in a way that most don’t understand because they didn’t grow up with it?” Lena mused. “Interesting.” 

“Yes. Exactly like that.” The blond was pointing at her from the chair she had plopped down in as it rolled a bit and spun to the right. 

“It must be hard.” Lena looked sadly at the Girl of Steel. Kara looked surprised and caught a little off guard. She straightened up in the chair and looked down, folding her fingers together and pressing her thumbs to each other. 

“Sometimes,” the Kryptonian started. “Most times,” she admitted, for the first time in a long time. “It’s always there.” She sighed. “I guess it always will be.” She looked up and smiled sadly. “I get so sad sometimes, and other times, I’m just so angry.” The hero dressed in plain clothes looked away and back and down at her hands that were now clenched fists. The youngest Luthor had never really considered the anger, which was odd, because she too, had felt anger. Anger at her mother abandoning her. Anger at her brother’s madness and Lillian’s chilly lack of affection. Kara had been abandoned as well, just in a different way. Instead of her parent’s leaving, they sent her away. 

“I know that feeling.” The raven-haired woman stood shimmering in her holographic form. Her sympathetic eyes searching this strange and wonderful woman in front of her. She was still coming to terms with the fact that Kara Danvers was Supergirl. Someone so human, was also an alien, and how she didn’t care in the slightest. All the xenophobia she had been raised with had been proven untrue over the last several years by just getting to know her and her friends. She also knew that she had never felt this way about another soul in her life. 

“So, hey,” Kara changed the subject and shook Lena from her daydream. “I was thinking about our date,” she added. 

Lena smiled as she turned back to the board in front of her and studied where she had left off. 

“I think I might have moved too fast.” The blonde inhaled deeply after she spoke. Lena stayed facing the board. Her heart sank. A crinkle forming ever so slightly between her eyes. “So much happened so quickly after you showed up at my apartment and made my Supersuit.” The blonde continued and Lena stood almost frozen, holding her breath. “We haven’t really talked about it and then I thought you died.” 

“And you feel like you jumped the gun.” Lena gathered herself and turned to face Kara, smiling through her sadness. 

“Well, yes...and no.” Kara could see the sadness in Lena’s eyes, and she was very aware that this wasn’t going the way she had hoped. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice screaming her name in the distance. She reacted by tilting her head slightly and a worried look came over her face. Lena was very familiar with that look on Supergirl’s face. It was interesting to see it on Kara’s. Kara’s phone lit up. It was Nia. “I’m sorry.” The hero was torn. She really didn’t want to leave this conversation, but Nia was obviously in distress. 

“I know.” Lena smiled, sadness still present behind her green eyes. “Supergirl is needed.” 

“It’s Nia. Something has happened to Brainy.” Concern painted her face as her blue eyes scanned the text. “Lex has him.” Lena felt her heart stop, despite only being made of light. 

“Go!” The youngest Luthor ushered Supergirl toward the exit of the Tower. “I’ll see if I can track him down from here.” All sorts of maps and screens popped up around the holographic Luthor. Brainy had barely survived his last encounter with Lex. Lena knew this time they’d take him apart piece by piece. Kara was changed and gone in an instant. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

As the effects of Lex’s weapon began to wear off, Brainy found himself strapped to a very large chair that seemed to be connected to several machines. Each machine reading something different. Brain waves, heart rate, blood pressure, and one with several different algorithms running. Things were still a bit blurry when a figure leaned over into his view. 

“How incredibly fortunate that you survived my last attempt to kill you.” A very familiar and sinister voice spoke as Brainiac’s vision cleared. “To think that I almost destroyed 31st century technology, not to mention all the information within that technology.” Lex smiled, quite proud of himself. “How incredibly foolish of me.” Brainy tried to move but quickly realized he was restrained, and completely unable to. 

“It would be foolish of you to tinker with things you do not understand.” Brainiac 5 knew there were dangers that could be unleashed if Lex Luthor were to try to bypass his informational inhibitor for the answers he sought. There were millions of fail-safes, but there was no way to know which one would assert itself first. With everything he experienced after turning his emotional inhibiters off, he dreaded the possibilities. 

“Tinker?’ Lex laughed. “I don’t ‘tinker’”. The bald Luthor shook his head as he moved closer. “I improve things.” He spun and motioned to all the different technology and weapons spread about the room. “I don’t merely dabble.” He smirked, as he came close again. “I delve.” He had moved his face as close to the green-skinned Coluan as possible. Madness clearly visible behind his eyes, teeth clenched. “I am going to crack this open like an egg.” Lex tapped Brainy’s head. 

“That would be very unwise,” Brainy stated matter-of-factly. “There are dangers you do not understand.” Before the Coluan hero could get another word out a shockwave jolted through him and Lex laughed. 

“Oh, I understand.” Lex smiled, as he paced around the room. “I understand that you have centuries of history and knowledge that could help me rule the world. Turn the tide for humans. Help me save my sister and rid us of the super brats once and for all.” 

“First off, Lena Luthor does not need you to save her. She is quite capable of saving herself,” Brainy began. “She is a 10th level intellect and despite your superiority complex, you are but an 8th.” He continued, not noticing that his words were causing his captor to turn a deep shade of seething red. “While that does put you above most Earthlings, who are only at a 6th level, it does not in any way make you superior.” The blonde Coluan realized his mistake once Lex returned to his field on vision, blood red and almost frothing at the mouth. As he raised his hand to slap his hostage, Lillian waltzed in. 

“Temper, temper,” she said flatly. “Let’s not damage the merchandise.” Lex turned around and walked toward the large computer-looking unit with all the wires laid out behind Brainiac 5. Lillian was now inspecting each end as she studied a set of X-rays of what appeared to be the green-skinned alien's head. It revealed multiple circuits and boards and a complex CPU that were all completely balanced with organics. 

“Find anything helpful?” Lex snarked. 

“Oh, yes. His systems are a highly adapted form of wetware. We should be able to tap into everything in his mind if we can decipher the language it is written in.” Lillian walked around to face Brainy. “Coluan, correct?” She asked bluntly holding a data pad in front of her. 

“Ye...” The green skinned alien hesitated. “Yes.” He replied, a little afraid. 

“Well, that’s a helpful start.” Lillian smiled devilishly. “We’ve already met your kind once.” Brainy swallowed hard. 

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Supergirl landed in front of Nia’s place and used her x-ray vision to see her pacing back and forth in her apartment living space. 

“Nia!” Supergirl called out, as she came in for a landing. The younger woman opened the door and rushed out into Kara’s arms. The Maid of Might caught her. “I’ve got you. It’s okay. Tell me what happened.” Nia gave her all the details about the stun ray, the black van and Lex. 

“Lex will kill him this time, Kara.” Nia’s tear-filled eyes searched the older hero. 

“We won’t let that happen,” the Kryptonian said with confidence, hoping to reassure her friend that everything would be alright. “Lena’s working on finding him right now,” the blonde hero added. 

“Kara, I’ve got them.” The hero heard Lena’s voice like it was in her head. It wasn’t, Lena had just managed to tap into her earpiece unexpectedly. “They’re at an old warehouse in the Arts District,” the youngest Luthor informed her. “The old Thorul building.” 

“On my way.” Supergirl started to leave, but Nia grab hold of her. 

“Not without me,” she said determined. “If you don’t mind giving me a lift.” 

“Suit up.” Kara said as she nodded her head once. 

Within minutes the two heroes were off, with Alex not far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Hope you had positive holidays and end of the year celebrations. I'm in the middle of a weather event myself. Record breaking temperatures. It was -29 degrees F today at one point. 8 feet of powdery snow. Everything has closed down. Perfect writing weather...lol. I hope everyone stays safe & warm. Cuddle up, grab a warm beverage and let me know how you like the latest chapter. Hopefully the next one doesn't take me as long. Looks like I'm stuck inside until at least Saturday!

**Author's Note:**

> This was a one-shot. If you guys like it and want more, let me know.
> 
> Update Feb26, 2020. Well, you guys were very clear. You want more. So, this is no longer a one-shot. Chapter 2 is on its way.


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